No other 20-year-old is experiencing the pressure and media attention that Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is. No second-round pick in NBA history has received lofty expectations like this, which seems unfair to someone recovering from a cardiac arrest a little over a year ago.
While James accomplished his dream of playing professional basketball, plenty of work must be done to make him a valuable role player. But each game he plays, every minute will be heavily analyzed given how he is the son of LeBron James.
Now that Bronny and LeBron are forming the first father and son duo in NBA history, TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley knows that the former USC Trojan is going to have a target on her back, via Throwbacks:
“I’m glad he’s just healthy, and we’re all rooting for him because we have so much respect for LeBron. It’s not gonna easy because he has a target on his back because of his last name. There’s gonna be a certain amount of petty jealousness of people who are like, ‘You don’t deserve to be in the NBA. You’re not as good as some of these other players. You only got in because of your dad.’”
A majority of Bronny’s rookie season could be spent in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, allowing him to gain reps and confidence. But even his G League minutes are going to be judged, so it is truly a lose-lose situation unless he shows significant progress.
However, seeing how LeBron has gone through this for 20-plus seasons, Bronny can lean on his father for advice to block out these narratives. But, it seems that he is demonstrating a tolerance to ignore media opinions about his performances and at the end of the day just wants to play basketball.
JJ Redick wants Bronny James to be defensive ‘pest’ for Lakers
At this stage of his rookie with Summer League and a few preseason minutes under his belt, it’s clear Bronny James’ offensive game is going to take time to develop. However, his defensive skillset is quite impressive and could be needed down the line due to the amount of explosive guards in the league.
By spending time in the G League to adjust to the NBA playstyle, the 20-year-old can hopefully develop into a 3-and-D guard. The plan Lakers head coach JJ Redick has for Bronny is he wants him to be a defensive ‘pest’ for L.A. when he gets on the floor.
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