Anonymous coaches, scouts react to Bronny James signing with USC

One of the biggest off-court college basketball mysteries ended over the weekend, with Bronny James announcing his commitment to USC. The Trojans had emerged as the favorite over the past couple of months, but with very little concrete information available and an incredibly quiet recruitment, it was unclear where James was going or when he planned to make a decision.

With James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, now in the fold, the conversation turns to how things might look on the court for Andy Enfield and the Trojans. On paper, the addition of James makes USC the Pac-12 favorite at this point in the offseason.

What will James bring to the table and how will he coexist on the floor with his new teammates?

Because of his father, James has had attention on him throughout his high school career. But he really opened eyes last spring and summer on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Strive for Greatness program. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 23 games, showing improvement as an outside shooter and adjusting to become more of a focal point in his team’s offense.

Coming out of last summer, one high-major college coach shared his scouting thoughts with ESPN:

“He showed more assertiveness as a scorer,” the coach said at the time. “Bronny actually plays with some similarities to his father — he plays high just like his dad does, he has a tremendous feel for throwing the ball ahead in transition. He keeps the ball hot, knows the right play to make and does so on time. He really moves his feet defensively and has the lateral quickness and strength to be a terrific on-ball, point-of-attack defender. The consistency of his jump shot still comes and goes, and he is not yet able to access his vertical athleticism in the half court.

“However, in transition or with a runway to the rim, Bronny has some pop. Where I would like to see him grow is as a one-on-one creator of his own offense. … I would like to see him settle into college and continue to grow more comfortable finding his own offense, but he’s a good, smart player.”

ESPN followed up with the same coach after James’ commitment, and he expressed