Should the Spurs gamble on Bronny James' rising star?

Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, has turned heads at the NBA Combine recently, leading to questions about whether it would be worth it. for the San Antonio Spurs to select him in the upcoming draft. The early results have mostly been positive, with Bronny having an impressive 6'7 1/4 wingspan despite being only 6'1 1/2 and having a terrific 40.5 vertical leap.

He also shot the ball well in the three-point drill and mostly played well in scrimmages, but should the Spurs draft him? While he wouldn't be in play for the fourth and eighth picks owned by the Spurs, they also have the 35th and 48th picks in this year's draft. Bronny's NBA role is far from certain, with his size at 6'1 being similar to that of a point guard while his game is comparable to that of a small forward.

His length and athleticism will help him defend bigger players but perhaps not threes; then there's his offensive fit. He shot it well at the NBA combine but it is hard to say whether he will be enough of a shooter to be an offensive threat and whether he has enough handles to be a primary or secondary playmaker.

Should the Spurs gamble on Bronny James' upside?

Bronny's most likely NBA role is as an undersized, three-and-d shooting guard, which is rare nowadays, with Gary Payton II being an obvious comp. That's not the most valuable player type in the world, since those players are hard to fit into most lineups.

Having a big playmaking guard would offset size concerns about having Bronny at the two, but unless they draft, say Nikola Topic, the Spurs don't have that player. There is also a somewhat similar player to Bronny already on the roster.

Blake Wesley has more potential as a point guard, while Bronny has more potential as a shooter, but both are guards whose best attribute may be their defense. Wesley is a couple of inches taller and is very quick, giving him the potential to defend both guard spots while running the second unit. Bronny will probably be better than Wesley long-term.

However, with the Spurs likely to draft a guard in the lottery, possibly trade for one, and bring back Wesley and Tre Jones, not to mention Devin Vassell and Malaki Branham, they may look at more traditional wings in the second round. As a result, the Spurs should pass on Bronny.