SPRINGFIELD – Much like his older brother Bronny, Bryce James, the youngest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has been under the microscope from a young age. Now a 6-foot-4 senior wing at Sierra Canyon (Calif.) High School, James makes waves every time he steps onto a basketball court. Such was the case again on Saturday at the Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena near the Naismith Hall of Fame. When James entered the game early in the second quarter of Sierra Canyon’s game on Saturday against Grayson (Ga.) High, the crowd of around 4,000 greeted him with a standing ovation.
Bryce has come off the bench the entire season for Sierra Canyon after fighting a turf toe injury from the summer that kept him sidelined until December. Yet, as soon as he checked in, he played like a starter. After missing his first two shot attempts, he settled in, buried a three-pointer with confidence and never looked back. Every time Bryce touched the ball, the whole crowd cheered, even if he just passed to one of his teammates. He finished with 16 points (4 of 7 from three) and added five rebounds in the 60-46 win over Grayson. James received MVP honors at the end of the game as his teammates surrounded him and dapped him up. That was the only game Sierra Canyon played at the event.
Given the visibility of the event and the quality of the competition. it was by far the best game James has played in his career. His performance immediately had social media buzzing. His famous father chimed in as well:
The fact that LeBron was tweeting from 3,000 miles away was telling. Whenever Bronny took the court in a major high school or AAU tournament, at least one of his parents was usually present. LeBron is busy playing with the Lakers, of course, but many of those who follow the high school scene closely have noted that he has kept a lower profile when it comes to Bryce – and that Bryce has maintained a lower profile in general. The family rarely travels for Bryce’s games, largely because his younger sister Zhuri is now in middle school and has more obligations. The only “family” who accompanied Bryce to the Hoophall Classic were the family’s chief of staff and a personal bodyguard.
This is not to say that LeBron is uninvolved in Bryce’s career. LeBron coached Bryce’s team at the Nike EYBL Championships two summers ago and the entire family showed up in support for Bryce’s senior night last week. But Bryce is living a much different existence than his older brother did at this stage. Bryce’s 2.1 million followers on Instagram would be considered staggering except when compared with Bronny’s, which is now over 8 million. Unlike Bronny, who was widely recognized by the public and was swarmed wherever he went, Bryce enjoys a semblance of normalcy away from the court. He is able to roam freely through hotels and shopping malls in relative peace.
Saturday’s performance aside, Bryce is also considered a lesser prospect than Bronny was as a high school senior. Maximo Adams, a four-star guard and arguably Sierra Canyon’s best player, led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s win and point guard Gavin Hightower dished out nine assists. But the way Bryce consistently converted on every opportunity is something NBA scouts have been waiting to see over the course of his high school career.
“He played great and it was nice to see him piece together a complete game,” one NBA scout told Hoops HQ. “He has the length and add that to his high release and smooth shooting stroke. The potential is there. He is far from a finished product though.”
Though there were glimpses of that potential last summer during Nike’s EYBL and Peach Jam tournament, James’ overall numbers have been underwhelming on the AAU circuit. He only averaged 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and shot 39 percent from the field during the EYBL season and only averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and shot only 17.6 percent from three-point range in five games at Peach Jam. At the time his recruitment was held under wraps, which was also the case with Bronny, but on Jan. 2 Bryce announced his commitment to Arizona. He chose the Wildcats over Ohio State, Duquesne and USC.
It remains to be seen whether Bryce, who is ranked No. 240 in the senior class by 247Sports, will be an impact player at Arizona. His real benefit to the program could be his influence on Brayden Burries, a 6-foot-4 guard from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in San Bernardino, Calif., who is a five-star recruit and close friends with Bryce. The two were AAU teammates last summer and play very well together.
There is still plenty of room for improvement for the younger James son. His length and three-point shot making hint at upside upon which he can continue to build his career at a high Division-I level. Sierra Canyon head coach Andre Chevalier has been patient with Bryce’s development, letting him come off the bench and find his rhythm rather than forcing his development.
Has Bryce James arrived? Not in the way social media will lead you to think he has. On Saturday, however, he took a very big step in the right direction.Â