5 Reasons the Mavericks must stay away from drafting Bronny James

In less than one week, the Dallas Mavericks and other 29 NBA teams will be ready to draft players at the 2024 NBA Draft.

The draft will take place on June 26 and June 27 in New York.

Entering the draft, one question is what team will select Bronny James, the son of LeBron James. The Mavs have the 58th overall pick in the draft, and appear to have interest in taking James.

5 Reasons the Mavericks must stay away from drafting Bronny James

While some might think adding James can help the Mavs, don't let the last name fool you too much. The hype around James entering the draft might not be worth it for the Mavs to take James.

James is expected to be drafted sometime in the second round.

Where the Mavs are picking at 58, it is late in the round. There are reasons the Mavs should pass on taking James, and only time will tell what Dallas decides to do with their one and only pick in this year's draft.

5. Dallas is trying to win now

The Mavs are just coming off of an NBA Finals loss in five games to the Boston Celtics. Dallas' run to the Finals was one not many people saw coming.

Also, the Mavs have been in two of the past three Western Conference Finals with Jason Kidd as head coach and Nico Harrison as general manager. The two know they are close to a breakthrough for winning a championship with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the team.

It wouldn't make much sense to draft Bronny and wait a few seasons for him to develop when the Mavs already have two superstars leading their team and want to find a current star to help get them over the hump.

This offseason, most expect the Mavs to be busy in hunting for players to add to their roster to make them a contender to make the Finals once again. They have already shown interest in Tobias Harris and Jerami Grant, and Dallas may use this pick in a trade to pursue a star.

James would take a few seasons at least to break through and make them a contender again sitting on the bench.

It's not likely that any player would immediately contribute that is drafted with the No. 58 pick, but James' game is more raw than other's.

4. Better players are available

Despite being viewed as a marquee second-rounder, better players will likely be available for the Mavs in the second round. One of them is James' USC teammate Boogie Ellis, who is another guard like James. In his final season at USC, Ellis averaged 16.5 points per game and shot 42 percent from three.

Guard Tristen Newton from UConn is also another player the Mavs can keep an eye on. After averaging 10.1 points per game in the 2022-23 season, Newton improved to 15.1 points per game this season. Newton also has won the past two National championships at UConn. With already a winning culture and mindset at UConn, Newton could translate his winning approach with the Mavs who are coming off an NBA Finals berth.

Isaac Jones stood out at Washington State this season. The 6-foot-8 power forward has shot 60 percent from the field in his career and has averaged 17.2 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Jones could be a piece the Mavs could use for depth when defending the paint.

Oso Ighodaro from Marquette is also another player who would be a better selection. The 6-10 center averaged 13.4 points per game and 6.9 rebounds at Marquette this past season. Ighodaro also has a career field goal percentage of 62. Ighodaro was mocked to be drafted by Dallas earlier in the offseason, and he'd give the Mavs more depth in their frontcourt.

Despite James being hyped, these are just a few other players the Mavs could find themselves taking in the second round instead.

3. Mavericks would likely have to trade up

With having the 58th pick and final pick in the second round, some might not think James would fall that low. Being the last pick in the NBA draft may be gut-wrenching for James. The Lakers hold the 55th overall pick where some might expect James to play with his father in Los Angeles, although LeBron says it's "not a priority." Some expect James to play with his son at some point before he retires and this is the best time to ever do it.

With the Lakers ahead three spots of the Mavs, some would expect the Lakers to make the selection for James. That means Dallas would have to trade up if they really wanted him.

Where would Dallas have to trade up to in order to make sure James is available? It might be unsure of how many spots up. It could be possible another team might want to make James with their second-round selection.

It also might be worth giving up a second-round pick or two to trade up to draft James if teams believe in his potential. Saving draft picks to not trade up for James would help benefit Dallas if there is another player the Mavs feel could help them more than James.

Dallas can also avoid falling into the trap of the hype around James and take the player that fits the team more than James would. If Dallas wants to trade up and select James, they must like James more than the other players on the board.

2. Dallas needs a 3-point shooter

One key reason and arguably the biggest reason why the Mavs fell in the NBA Finals was their poor 3-point shooting. Against the Celtics in Game 5, the Mavs shot 11-of-37 from three. If Dallas was able to knock down more threes, the series could've been totally different and the Mavs could have extended the series.

In his one season at USC last season, James struggled shooting from three. James shot 16-of-60 from three (27 percent). The Mavs can't afford for James to wait to develop his 3-point shooting when they need it now.

One player that the Mavs should keep their eyes on in the draft is Boogie Ellis. In his NCAA career, Ellis is a 38 percent shooter from three. This season with James as his teammate, Ellis shot 42 percent from three. In his career, Ellis has made 313 career threes.

Tristen Newton is also a player the Mavs can select in the draft who is a solid 3-point shooter. Newton shot 33 percent from three in his collegiate career. This year in the Final Four and National Championship game combined, Newton was 5-of-14 (36 percent) from three.

Dallas would be better off drafting a player who is more of a reliable 3-point shooter than James. Also, with both of them being guards, it would give the Mavs more depth at guard with how stacked their guards are already. A guard like James who isn't capable of shooting the three, might not fit the Mavs.

1. Along with his 3-point shooting, James had a poor season at USC

It wasn't just Bronny James' 27 percent shooting from three to go along with a struggling season at USC; it was more to it.

James had a lot of hype around him in high school and committed to one of the most popular colleges in USC. There was a lot of attention surrounding him if he could lead the Trojans as a freshman.

In 25 games, and starting only six, James averaged 4.8 points per game and under three rebounds and assists per game. James also shot 37 percent from the field.

In just three games, James scored 10 points or more. In two games in the Pac-12 Tournament, James averaged five points per game. With a good chance to raise his draft stock at the tournament, it unfortunately didn't turn out the way James envisioned.

With recording numbers like that in his one season at USC, James might not be ready for big minutes once he gets to the NBA. If Dallas were to draft him, expectations would be James would sit on the bench. Rumors have indicated that Dallas would take James with the No. 58 overall pick and give him a guaranteed contract if available.

With the draft rolling around the corner, the Mavs are in a tough position whether they want to draft or pass on James. It might be smart and better off to pass on James and take someone else and look for other free agents to help the roster that the front office is satisfied with.

Nico Harrison likes the core that Dallas has put together, and the draft will be interesting this week.