LeBron James has downplayed recently his desire to one day play alongside his son Bronny in the NBA. But that doesn't mean he's not interested in his son's career path.

The four-time league MVP is much more content these days to let Bronny find his own way. And on the latest edition of his "Mind the Game" podcast, James said he's been very impressed by the 19-year-old's maturity.

In the eyes of some scouts who saw Bronny at last week's NBA draft combine, the rising college sophomore is a potential second-round pick.

When asked about his NBA aspirations, Bronny told reporters he's not trying to be the superstar his father was when he came into the league as a teenager. He's more of a role player in the mode of a Jrue Holiday or Derrick White.

Dad, for one, loved that answer.

"For a team that's trying to win championships and a team that wants to win every night, these are the players you have to have on your team because it doesn't always show up in the box scores but it always shows up in the winning plays," James told co-host J.J. Redick.

"For Bronny to have that perspective on where he stands today, that's great."

The NBA's all-time leading scorer also praised his son for focusing on the little things that contribute to winning.

"I know that wasn't my goal. My goal was like, I'm trying to make it to the All-Star Game in Year 1. I wanna be All-Star. I wanna be MVP. I wanna be all of these things," James said.

"A lot of us have those aspirations, but for Bronny to just have that mindset of like at this point and time in my life and in my game, I know where I stand but I know how I affect the game. He's just a winning player and I just love his mindset. ... He's definitely carving out his own lane."

Bronny James, a 6-1½ guard, has declared for the NBA draft, but still has until May 29 to decide whether he wants to stay in the draft or return to college basketball for his sophomore season.

He has already said he will enter the transfer portal after one year at USC, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over 25 games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James praises son Bronny's perspective on potential NBA career