Reacts: Lakers fans want to draft Bronny James

According to Lakers fans, Bronny James is not only a legitimate NBA prospect but someone the team should consider drafting.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Los Angeles Lakers fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

With the Lakers holding the No. 17 and the No. 56 draft pick, the franchise has to decide whether to use those picks to improve and find a ready-now player or opt to deal those picks and try to land a big star via a trade.

So, for our latest SB Nation Reacts poll, we asked Lakers fans if they should use that first round pick on a prospect and if Bronny James is a player they want to see in purple and gold for the 2024-25 season.

Regarding using the No. 17 pick or going big game hunting, fans would rather use the pick in this year’s draft.

55% of Lakers fans wanting to use the draft pick on a prospect is surprising. The 2024 NBA Draft is considered one of the weaker drafts in recent memory and with the Lakers desperately trying to win another title, you’d think they’d want the team to go after a big star like Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell instead of investing in a younger player.

The decision might not even be an option for the Lakers as the New Orleans Pelicans can take the pick from the Lakers as the final part of the Anthony Davis trade. They have until June 1st to do so, but they are reportedly going to take the 2025 first round draft pick instead.

Even if the Pelicans take the No. 17 pick, the Lakers will have the No. 56 pick in this year’s draft.

Bronny James is a player the Lakers have reportedly met with who they can be draft in the second round. The USC guard and son of LeBron James has been in the spotlight since high school just as much for his play on the court as for the suspicion that his last name is sparking more hype for him than his actual production.

We asked Lakers fans if they’d want to draft the heir to the throne and the results were in his favor.

The slight majority wanting Bronny demonstrates that it’s not just hype; he is an NBA prospect teams and fans alike are interested in. Recent reports have made it clear the Lakers will not likely draft Bronny James and prefer to trade the pick, but if a deal is unavailable, perhaps drafting him is the best option.

Bronny, by most accounts, performed well at the NBA Draft Combine and we won’t have to wait long to see if it was good enough to land a spot on the Lakers or some other NBA team, with the draft happening on Jun. 26-27.

To vote in the Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here. You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.