Bronny James is doing the right thing by keeping his basketball options open ... so says ex-NBA player and coach Byron Scott, who tells TMZ Sports he personally thinks the young hooper should stay in school another year.
The 19-year-old USC Trojan announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft on Friday ... saying he will explore the interest from teams at the next level while maintaining his NCAA eligibility and entering the transfer protocol.
We spoke with Scott about the big hoop news ... and he tells us the former four-star recruit's smart by leaving doors open.
"Not surprised, not shocked," Scott said of James' announcement. "I think Bronny and, obviously, his dad and Klutch Sports, they've probably been thinking about this for a while and how to kind of go about it."
"So him entering his name in the draft and also in the portal -- I think he’s just weighing his options to see where he can probably get drafted, and then if he doesn’t like that and likes a situation where he can go play college basketball for another year, then I think it’s the best of both worlds. I think he’s in a great position."
Bronny will almost certainly have a new home no matter what he decides to do ... and if that's a different university, Scott sees LeBron's eldest son being highly coveted in the 2025 NBA Draft.
"You know what, to be honest with you, I think one more year of college wouldn’t hurt him," Scott added. "I think he has some great skills, there’s no doubt about that -- he knows how to play the game, he’s got a great basketball IQ, but playing one more year and being almost kind of featured, I think would really really solidify him in the next NBA Draft."
Scott even speculates on some schools that would make a great fit for him ... and also weighs in on the insane pressure Bronny has faced for having G.O.A.T. blood.