Bronny James has not exactly been lighting it up during the NBA preseason so far for the Los Angeles Lakers, although he did make NBA history by briefly sharing the court with his father LeBron James during Sunday's loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers have lost each of their first two preseason games so far (not that, that matters in the slightest), and fans who were worried about Bronny's ability to compete at the NBA level haven't seen much that would alleviate their concerns.

This was always going to be the question dating back to when the Lakers drafted Bronny James in June, and now, one anonymous Eastern Conference executive is getting one hundred percent candid on how the organization may have set the youngster up to fail.

“The expectations for Bronny by the fan base and by LeBron and Rich Paul are not commensurate with the reality of his game,” said the executive, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN. “If they had any real idea of how far away Bronny is, they just would not have done this.”

“You're set up for failure,” another scout said. “It's like, what's the expectation here?”

Can Bronny James crack the Lakers' rotation?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) looks to pass against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Acrisure Arena.
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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Bronny James struggled from the field in each of his first two preseason games after also doing so throughout his performance at the NBA Summer League this past July.

However, he did make some nice defensive plays, including a couple of blocks on layup attempts by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, but whether or not that will be enough to impress newly minted head coach JJ Redick remains to be seen.

Redick has made no secrets about the fact that he plans to implement a more analytically based offense with the Lakers this season, which means a heavier reliance on the three-point shot.

If Bronny isn't able to knock those down with consistency, it's tough to envision him getting minutes off of the bench over players like Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish or even Jalen Hood-Schifino, last year's first-round draft pick.

The more likely scenario is that the younger James spends most of this season in the G League to develop his game and potentially be ready for 2025-26.

In any case, the Lakers are set to open up their regular season on October 22 vs. the Timberwolves at home.