It’s probably safe to say that Bronny James is a far different basketball player than his father was—a once-in-a-generation star. The four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion LeBron James’s son has so far underperformed in his freshman year at USC with a mediocre stat line.

But the thing about college hoops is that there are plenty of other ways to be successful in the NBA. Despite his difficulties, Bronny James is still expected to be picked, so there’s a chance the young player will succeed in the pros in the same way a former struggling freshman at Marquette did fifteen years ago. Jimmy Butler, the superstar of the Miami Heat now, was that rookie.

A quick comparison of Jimmy Butler and Bronny James’ rookie campaigns

Jimmy G. Buckets, often known as Playoff Jimmy to the teams he has destroyed in the postseason, was a far cry from the rookie Jimmy Butler was at Marquette.

During the 08–09 season, Butler played in 35 games without ever starting and averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.5 blocks and assists per game. While these aren’t particularly striking, it makes sense.

Jimmy Butler never had a reputation on college because he wasn’t a highly sought-after athlete when he graduated from high school. By the time he arrived, Wesley Matthews, a smooth shooter who was averaging 18.3 points per game, was Marquette’s star player.

Regarding Bronny James, his stature essentially reflects Jimmy’s. The USC guard plays about 20 minutes a game and averages 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists for the season.

The most obvious distinction, though, is that Bronny has already started six of the 19 games in which he has participated for the Trojans.

Will Bronny James become into Jimmy Butler in the NBA?

The Miami Heat star’s enormous chip on his shoulder during his entire career is one of the reasons he is among the top players in the world. Few people thought he would succeed, but he took that as fuel for his ambition and went on to acquire his nickname, Jimmy G. Buckets, and more.

Bronny James’ circumstances might be similar but they could also be completely different. Being the son of one of the greatest basketball players ever, Bronny is already subjected to expectations that would break anyone. Because, let’s face it, nobody in the NBA can really match LeBron James’ career.

However, Bronny James needs to be able to take that and turn it into fuel for his own fire. He has no choice but to go up after his serious health scare totally sidelined him and his subpar freshman year.

The USC kid should just hope that he eventually finds his calling in the pros since it would be utterly unfair for anyone to expect him to match his father’s achievements.