Bronny James getting cooked by fans for brutal start to preseason
Yesterday at 10:14 AM
The early reports coming out of Los Angeles Lakers training camp regarding Bronny James were very promising. The word was that James was turning heads in camp, especially when he drained a triple over his father, LeBron, during one of the scrimmages. Thus, hope began to spring that, maybe, Bronny might be more ready to contribute in his rookie season than people realize. However, the first two preseason games show otherwise.
James has averaged 14.5 minutes during the Lakers’ two preseason games, but the 19-year-old point guard hasn’t done much with the playing time he has gotten. He’s averaging just one point thus far, with his lone bucket on seven attempts being an open layup during garbage time.
Suffice to say, Bronny looks far off from being a contributor, let alone an impact player, for the Lakers. It’s not too often that the 55th overall pick of the draft commands this much attention, but being LeBron’s son means that he’s always in the spotlight, and being in the spotlight means that poor games from him will draw plenty of reactions from fans.
“Tonight’s performance was a master-class in awful,” Reddit user bignedmoyle wrote in a thread dissecting Bronny’s performance during the Lakers’ preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
“he is seriously so f**king bad. idk how he got all those turnovers because it barely feels like he touches the ball. opening night is gonna be so embarrassing because when do you put him in with bron without looking like a complete joke of a franchise,” Reddit user copaseticepiplectic added.
“It's almost as if a bad bench player on a bad college team shouldn't have been nepo'd a dream spot in a competitive league,” user buffalotrace furthered.
Some fans were gentler in their criticism of Bronny; they suggested that the Lakers protect the 20-year-old rookie by having him develop out of the limelight, perhaps by having him stay in the G-League for the entirety of his rookie year.
“I feel bad for the kid. He has so much pressure and so many eyes on him just because of who his father is. Let him play one NBA game just to make history, then send him to the G League where he can develop without all the criticism,” user Dingle_Flingle wrote.
“For bronny sake… let him develop in the g league. He should not play a single min in an nba game this yr,” user dkdoki added.
Bronny James, Lakers bear the weight of heavy expectations
Being the son of arguably the greatest basketball player to ever grace the earth means living a life filled with high expectations. Bronny James, despite being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft after struggling in his lone season at USC, knows this firsthand.
However, it’s looking rather inevitable that Bronny will crumble under the weight of the heavy expectations brought forth by being the son of LeBron if he’s thrust into the limelight before he’s ready. Bronny looked like a deer in the headlights during the Lakers’ preseason defeat against the Suns, as Collin Gillespie and Josh Okogie ran circles around him.
Patience is still the name of the game as fans keep tabs on how Bronny’s career shakes out. Some more kindness towards the 20-year-old Lakers rookie could go a long way.
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