If Bronny James had any other father, fans would probably be encouraged by his performances in Summer League thus far for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sure, his 3 ball hasn't fallen at a particularly impressive clip, and his scoring has been inconsistent, to put it kindly, but his passing has been solid and he's proven a savvy defender right out of the gate, holding down an opposing team's guards while picking a few pockets along the way.
Had any of the other 29 teams around the NBA got that sort of production out of their rookie late-second-round pick, their fans would probably be happy with the results, as in the modern-day NBA, having a savvy guard defender can be incredibly useful against the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Kyrie Irving, and Tyrese Maxey. But in the eyes of many outside observers from casual to hardcore hoops hypers, James isn't supposed to be a 10th man earning a dozen minutes off the bench in the regular season or even a G-Leaguer who is a year away from action: he's supposed to be a star.
Every time James misses an open 3, fans instantly clip the highlight and post it online, clowning on the 19-year-old for being a nepo baby with no real talent. Every time he does something good, like hitting a catch-and-shoot 3 or stealing the ball off of a driving would-be scorer, James earns a similarly disproportionate reaction, with some fans declaring him “back” while others call it a fluke or worse.
Now granted, this shouldn't be particularly surprising for the second-generation NBA star, as his father has openly talked about his son being aware of the outside criticism, which he “doesn't give a f**k” about, but is that really true or just projection? Remember, James' very life was called into question last year when he suffered cardiac arrest before playing his college ball in USC; even if he's the heir apparent to a borderline billion-dollar fortune and a millionaire signed to a guaranteed contract – which might actually pay him less than his USC endorsements – he's still a 19-year-old kid who will inevitably hear the criticisms sent his way even if he largely tried to tune them out.
So what, you may ask, is James' biggest concern coming out of camp? Well, that would probably be his streaky outside shot and that he won't get to spend enough time on a (G-League) court to get more comfortable from the NBA line, but the real concern is that fans will continue to look at his career through a vastly distorted lens and judge him rightfully or wrongly based on his father's achievements, not his own. If James was any other player, he'd be an encouraging young player who might become someone down the line, but because his father's career is rapidly coming to an end, the pressure will instead be on to see him share the court with the “King,” toss him an alley-oop, and hit an open 3 dished his way by the future Hall of Famer.
Bill Simmons: Bronny James will be a distraction for the Lakers
With Summer League officially in the books, fans around the NBA have begun to turn their attention to the regular season and how this Lakers squad – plus or minus a supplemental move or two – will come together in the pursuit of another championship.
One such observer is Bill Simmons, and on his namesake podcast, the Ringer founder let it be known that he doesn't have particularly high hopes for the season, as, between Redick's inexperience and the younger James' addition to the roster, Los Angeles could be in for an early-season collapse.
“The Lakers did not get better in any way [during the offseason]. They have the exact same team they had last year, and LeBron is a year older, and they have a brand-new coach who's never coached before [in JJ Redick],” Bill Simmons explained on his podcast via Sports Illustrated.
“This Bronny James thing is gonna be a weird wrinkle in the season, I don't think it's gonna be a positive. It's cool that he's going to be able to play with his son, but it's going to be a major distraction this whole season. It just is. And the odds of this team really looking rocky in December and being a panic-trade candidate, I would think they're one of my No. 1's.”
Could Simmons' theory come to pass? Will Pelinka panic trade away the team's assets for a player like, say, Jeremi Grant in order to avoid a spot in the play-in, or worse, no playoffs at all? Only time will tell, but considering Bronny has more bets to win Rookie of the Year placed on him than any other candidate for the award – or any other 55th overall pick in NBA history – it's safe to say expectations for the Lakers and their second-round pick may lead to a letdown in LA.
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