As the son of NBA legend LeBron James, Bronny was on the NBA’s radar long before his freshman season at USC. In fact, according to Bronny’s agent Rich Paul, it was Lakers owner Jeanie Buss who made the call to draft him, not LeBron himself.
“Look, Jeanie Buss decided that she’s making this call, and she’s been able to see Bronny in all aspects not only from a basketball perspective but also from a character perspective,” said Paul on the Pat McAfee Show. “And he has everything that aligns with the Laker brand. And so, you have to make that type of call. At the end of the day, we’re not going to spend too much time on that. Bronny has to work his way, and he will.”
Bronny, who was drafted 55th overall, has been a hot topic in the NBA community. While the Lakers insist that he earned his spot on the team through sheer hard work and dedication, others aren’t as convinced that he’s NBA-ready.
In college, he only averaged 4.8 points per game and often struggled to make an impact on the floor. In Summer League, Bronny’s shooting woes have continued to an ugly degree with an 0-15 record on three-pointers so far.
Despite his modest numbers and questionable skills, the Lakers were happy to take him with their second-round pick this year, essentially cementing history as the first team to have a father and son active as teammates on the roster. Many Lakers fans blame Rob Pelinka, Rich Paul, and especially LeBron James for setting Bronny up to fail in the NBA. Had he considered at least staying for an extra year or two in college, it might have helped his game flourish in the pros.
Instead, Bronny was rushed to the league to join with his dad and now there are doubts that he will play any significant role this upcoming season. At just 19 years old, Bronny looks like a man who does not belong but unlike other second-round picks, he still has plenty of time to grow and develop his game.
Thanks to the Lakers gifting him a four-year, nearly $8 million rookie deal, James is going to be on this team for the foreseeable future — for better or worse. By then, LeBron will almost surely be retired and Bronny will have to find his own way in order to keep his career alive.
Regarding Jeanie Buss, she has always maintained full control of the Lakers and her philosophy has been to reward her team’s star players. In this case, that means catering to LeBron James, who may be the greatest player ever. From trading for Anthony Davis years ago to hiring JJ Redick and drafting Bronny, Jeanie is clearly in the business of keeping LeBron happy and you can’t blame her for doing whatever it takes to keep her franchise on top.
Of course, the Lakers will need to make additional moves before they can call themselves a contender in the West but they will be fighting hard to stay competitive next season and Jeanie has given Rob the green light to go all-in on the title pursuit.
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