Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, decided to keep it local by committing to USC on Saturday over Ohio State and Oregon, and that decision should pay off mightily for his future.

James will suit up alongside Isaiah Collier, the 247Sports composite list's No. 1 recruit in the nation, and Boogie Ellis, in Southern California, which will take a lot of weight off his shoulders.

An NBA scout told ESPN's Jeff Borzello that James' decision will "accelerate his development":

"It helps a lot. He picked a good situation. You're going to have the third-best perimeter defender guarding you, which is going to help with his ball handling. He's a smart basketball player. He's going to be able to drive and kick and make plays like that. And he can make shots. They've now got two guys who can drive and kick. Collier spends the first half feeling out the defense, and the second half he goes for the knockout. So he'll set up Bronny, he'll look for Bronny. And Bronny is good in transition, and he's got two guys who can find him. It'll very much accelerate his development."

Another NBA scout added:

"His confidence grew. That, to me, was the biggest thing. His shooting is significantly better. It's all catch-and-shoot, so his biggest area of improvement is going to be making shots off the move. Pull-ups, coming off screens, being ready to shoot. ... He can get a swing pass and make a nice entry pass. You leave him open on a catch-and-shoot, he'll destroy you."

Because of the James name, Bronny's basketball career has been followed by scouts and coaches for a very long time. His high school career at Sierra Canyon, in particular, was put under a microscope, and he has certainly lived up to the hype.

The 18-year-old, who stands at 6'3" and 190 pounds, is the No. 21 player and fifth-best combo guard in the 2023 class. He's also ranked as the fourth-best prospect out of California behind Jared McCain, Aden Holloway and Caleb Foster.

James hasn't even stepped on a college court yet and he's already considered a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. ESPN's Jonathan Givony had James going 10th overall to the Orlando Magic in his February mock draft.

If LeBron's eldest son thrives at USC, he could be selected higher than 10th overall, especially because it could mean the team that drafts him could also eventually land his father, a four-time NBA champion.

LeBron is still serious about playing with Bronny in the NBA, and it's bound to happen at one point or another.

Fans will get a first look at Bronny in a USC uniform on Nov. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. It will be one of the most highly anticipated events of the college basketball season.