Rival Views: Where should Bronny James be ranked?

No prospect in the country will generate more mainstream interest than Bronny James, son of NBA superstar Lebron James and a talented player in his own right. Just a sophomore at California's Sierra Canyon High School, there will be endless words written about him in the years to come. With Rivals.com set to debut its first Class of 2023 rankings late next week, national analysts Dan McDonald and Rob Cassidy offer their takes on what to do with the gifted and celebrated James from a rankings standpoint.

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MORE: Biggest names in 2023 class

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

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No prospect in the 2023 class will be under a bigger microscope than James, a high school sophomore of whom even some casual basketball fans are already well aware. Being the first-born son of the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball comes with a blinding limelight, and Bronny has handled that unique situation incredibly well thus far.

Where to rank Bonny James, however, remains a often-debated topic both nationally and internally at Rivals.com. Is he polished? Not by a long shot, but the flashes of greatness are there. His hot-and-cold performance during a nationally televised game earlier this season was a microcosm of where his development stands. He’s got decent length and impressive strength to go along with incredible court vision and a jump shot that seems to get better by the month. He’s certainly not the same level of athlete as his father was in his high school days, but who is?

I think Bronny has top 15-20 potential and has plenty of time to grow into that type of player. If I had my way, however, I’d start him a few spots outside of that range. From there, James could slide up as he becomes more consistent and maybe even a bit more confident creating his own shot. He certainly possesses the body, focus, feel for the game and upside of an elite prospect, but the year ahead should reveal a lot about his development trajectory.

James is really talented and it looks like he's made great strides since the last time I saw him in person. He has a really good feel for the game and makes some really impressive passes. He can make shots both from long range and off a couple dribbles. I see him as a top 25 prospect in the class with a chance to go up over the next couple years.