In many ways, the Los Angeles Lakers are perfect for LeBron James, who has had the media spotlight on him since he was 16 years old. Now, though, after the Lakers drafted his son Bronny in the 2024 draft, the younger James has to deal with extreme pressure as someone looking to escape his superstar father’s shadow.
During an episode of the Locked on Pacers podcast, Indiana Pacers player Kyle Mangas shared a mind-blowing story about playing with Bronny during the NBA Summer League.
“There’s so much media surrounding him,” Mangas said in the interview. “We would get off the bus at our hotel, and there’d be 250 people waiting for him to get off just to film and walk into the hotel. You got to feel for a kid like that. There’s just a lot of pressure and publicity, and that’s hard to get away from sometimes. [I] think he handled it pretty well from what I saw.”
The Lakers and Bronny
Likewise, Bronny had suffered a cardiac arrest during his year at USC, making it tough to gauge his current skill level.
The Lakers had already drafted Dalton Knecht with their No. 17 pick, and so far he looks more NBA-ready than the younger James. Moreover, the team might even send Bronny to the G League to get some reps and develop his game before he could sniff the floor with his father. He certainly would stay on the bench during high-stakes games or the playoffs.
Still, the media circus around his father has reached Bronny, too, prompting analysts like Stephen A. Smith to drop sizzling takes about him before he even played a minute in the NBA.
During his Summer League stint, Bronny also endured a terrible start, but he eventually found his stride and finished strong. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 25.4 minutes, on shooting splits of 28.6% from the field and 10% from three.
Is Bronny a star?
Perhaps the chatter came from people expecting the younger James to be a star right away, like his father. However, Bronny is more like a good role player than the focal point of the offense. He is unselfish with good basketball IQ.
Additionally, he can handle the ball and make plays, and he can also defend well. As a backup guard, he can help maintain leads or generate enough momentum for the starters to capitalize on.
As the Lakers continue building a team around LeBron and Anthony Davis, they will need more role players who can contribute on the margins. Even Lakers owner Jeanie Buss seems to agree.
