On the cusp of his NBA debut, Bronny James continues to hear wild takes from those within the basketball community. The latest statement came from former NBA big man Kwame Brown, who accused James Jr. of “coasting” and said that he’d already be cut if it were any other player.
“He’s not a very good shooter yet that he can shoot yet. He sucks. Well, he would have a better go at it go at it if he just do those two things – run the floor for layups, get into the heart of the defense when they dropping plug on you. A guard should love when they drop plug,” Brown said on his ‘Bust Life’ show. “He don’t have an offensive rhythm right now so, sh*t, be young. Nobody can control you being able to run… But I see a kid just coasting because he has a guaranteed contract. Anybody else in that position would be cut.”
As the son of basketball royalty, Bronny James has earned a lot of attention since his debut at USC last year. Even knowing the pressure and expectations that would come with it, Bronny chose to follow his dad’s path to the NBA and he’s living out his dream of sharing the court with his dad, LeBron.
Since his arrival this summer, the Lakers have been nothing but optimistic about Bronny’s development and the players have tried their best to accommodate the young athlete. But even now, there are doubts about how his game will translate to the NBA level.
Bronny, who was drafted 55th by the Lakers, averaged just 4.8 points per game in college and played a limited role on a USC team that ranked 9th in the Pac 12 last year. In the Summer League, James averaged just 5.8 points per game on a horrendous 28.6% shooting from the field.
Publicly, the Lakers have done their best to be supportive of Bronny, and head coach JJ Redick has already let him get some time on the court with his dad and other veteran teammates. Occasionally, the young baller does show flashes of NBA potential.
But with James on a four-year guaranteed deal worth $7.9 million, there isn’t much incentive or urgency for him to rush the development process. Bronny’s future is now more secure than most second-round picks and he can rest easy knowing that he’ll always have a place on the Lakers as long as his dad is there.
Obviously, Bronny’s work ethic has been a major talking point for the Lakers but they’ll need him to work harder than he ever has before to hone his skills and maximize his potential sooner rather than later. For a team with so many aging veterans, they need production right away from their young guys and nobody can afford to just coast through the season.
Bronny should know better than anyone not to take his position for granted and this season he’ll be out to show everyone that his place on the Lakers was earned, not given. Clearly, not everyone is convinced and some are even rooting to see him fail.
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