Ohio State Basketball: Are the Buckeyes the ideal landing spot for Bronny James?

The recruitment for Bronny James is starting to gain more steam, with Ohio State Basketball potentially getting the first visit soon.

When thinking about where Bronny James, son of famous NBA superstar LeBron James and current top-50 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, will end up at, there’s been a reported list of teams that could be in the mix. Some of the obvious ones include USC and UCLA, the new “hometown” schools in Los Angeles, along with the old “hometown” program in Ohio State Basketball.

LeBron James comes from Akron, Ohio (the MAC program isn’t going to be involved), and the big program in the state is the Buckeyes, who have been a consistent contender in the Big Ten and in making the NCAA Tournament under Chris Holtmann. The recruiting has picked up as a result, with a top-10 incoming freshman class and currently, the No. 4 class in 2023. They have four commits, all four-stars that play different positions but they don’t have a point guard.

Could Bronny James end up being the missing piece in Ohio State’s recruiting class? If the LA schools aren’t the answer, the young guard could go back to where his father grew up and became famous. There certainly would be a ton of fans there supporting him and the Buckeyes are a big program in their own right.

The question, however, is whether or not James would be a great fit there. There’s long been talk about the father and son wanting to play together in the NBA and with LeBron entering year 20 this upcoming season, the younger James would have to be a one-and-done college player to make the dream work. For that to happen, he’d have to go somewhere where he’d have the ball in his hands a lot and run the offense to up his draft stock.

At Ohio State, it wouldn’t be a done deal. OK State transfer Isaac Likekele is the projected starter this season but he only has one year of eligibility left. His backup is Bruce Thornton, a top-40 incoming freshman prospect. He could have a breakout campaign similar to what Malaki Branham did last season and go pro and leave the PG position wide-open for James to come in the year after. Otherwise, there will be competition, and with multiple shooting guards also on board, it wouldn’t be a guaranteed bet that James starts with the Buckeyes.

Looking at the backcourt stations elsewhere, programs such as USC, Memphis, and maybe Michigan (if they don’t land five-star guard Isaiah Collier) have more space in the backcourt for Bronny James to come in and have a big immediate impact. That’s not necessarily true at Ohio State Basketball right now. Expect the Buckeyes to be in the mix throughout this recruitment but there’s a chance that they’re behind the eight-ball from a roster standpoint.