Bronny James is a four-star prospect who hasn’t cracked the top 30 in most recruiting rankings for the 2023 class. The Sierra Canyon guard hasn’t yet graduated high school, and he hasn’t even committed to a college with only a few months left to decide.

Up to this point, the only reason James was a considered a future first-round draft pick in 2024 was because of his famous father. But now, the 18-year-old is starting to crack the top 10 in 2024 NBA Mock Drafts, and LeBron James has nothing to do with it.

Bronny James hasn’t been a projected 2024 lottery pick

Bronny James is a top-notch high school prospect with the skill to eventually play in the NBA, but his ranking has always felt a bit inflated because — well, his father is one of the best basketball players to ever live.

According to 247 Sports, Bronny is the 34th-ranked overall prospect and the eighth-ranked combo guard in the 2023 class. NBA Draft Room has him as the 29th overall pick in its 2024 NBA Mock Draft, and NBADraft.net has him all the way down at 49th.

Bronny is an impossible player to mock because no one knows what LeBron’s plans will be two years from now. The new all-time leading scorer in NBA history has stated in the past that his goal is to one day play alongside his son, so it’s possible a team could reach for Bronny if that will lead to LeBron signing there in the offseason.

But Bronny has shown tremendous improvement over the last year, and he’s starting to rise up draft boards without his father’s help.

Bronny James cracks the top 10 in latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft

At this time last year, there were at least two dozen 2024 NBA Draft prospects with more upside than Bronny James. Now, there might be only a handful.

In ESPN draft insider Jonathan Givony’s latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft, he has Bronny going 10th overall to the Orlando Magic.

“James has earned his spot in lottery conversations with the significant jump he has made at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, this season,” Givony writes, “developing into arguably the best perimeter defender in his high school class while making strides in his perimeter shooting and playmaking ability.

“As most of his peers have flatlined the past 12 to 18 months, James has grown, filled out his frame, found another gear with his explosiveness and become an absolute terror off the ball defensively thanks to his outstanding intensity and feel for the game.”

Bronny has until May 17 to commit to a college. He’s already fielded offers from Ohio State, USC, Memphis, Kentucky, Michigan, and Oregon, but OSU has to be the favorite based on LeBron’s ties to the school.

Once he commits, the talented guard will be a one-and-done candidate to enter the 2024 NBA Draft. And if he keeps improving from now until next summer, Bronny could hear his name called in the top 10 as his father did 20 years ago.