Stephen A. Smith's Bronny James declaration amid LeBron James beef
Yesterday at 08:12 PM
There’s been an alleged beef between ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James after the two were spotted having a heated exchange at L.A.’s 113-109 overtime win over the New York Knicks. The confrontation took place due to Smith’s comments about Bronny James.
Less than a week later, it sounds like the 57-year-old sports analyst is humming a completely different tune about LeBron James’s son. During a segment on the “Skip Bayless Show,” Smith admitted that he believes Bronny “has potential to become an NBA player.”
“I personally think that Bronny has potential to become an NBA player.”
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The potential is certainly there. Although Bronny is only averaging 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game at the NBA level, he’s been playing extremely well in the G-League. Through nine games played, the 20-year-old guard is averaging 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. He’s also been shooting 43.4% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc.
However, it may take a few years for Bronny to make the jump to the NBA and become a true asset for a team. That tends to be the case for players selected late in the second round of the NBA Draft. Even so, it’s notable that Stephen A. Smith now acknowledges Bronny’s potential for the league.
To be fair, Smith doesn’t seem to believe LeBron James’s oldest son will become a star. But at the very least, Bronny can become a servicable option in the backcourt one day. Until then, the Lakers are going to focus on building the roster around Luka Doncic and James until he eventually retires.
The Lakers are currently in third place of the Western Conference after suffering back-to-back losses to the Boston Celtics (111-101) and Brooklyn Nets (111-108). With 19 games remaining on the schedule, Los Angeles is looking like a prime contender coming out of the West. That’s especially true if this team can get hot again in the final stretch of the regular season.
L.A.’s next contest comes on Thursday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. A victory will keep the Lakers within the Top 3 of the Western Conference, but a loss could drop them to fourth place.
The post Stephen A. Smith’s Bronny James declaration amid LeBron James beef appeared first on ClutchPoints.
