Bronny James is nearing the end of a rookie season unlike any other. The Los Angeles Lakers selected him in last June’s draft in a move immediately labeled as nepotism. Bronny is used to living under a microscope because of who his father is, but this season brought a new level of criticism.
The negativity surrounding the 20-year-old has settled a bit, as he’s spent time in the G League, where he’s averaging 20.6 points per game. His game has grown since the start of the season, which is the case with many rookies, but that doesn’t mean the noise has stopped.
LeBron said last summer that he didn’t know if “people really understand Bronny,” saying that his son “doesn’t care” about the scrutiny he gets.
In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Bronny revealed that he does hear some of what’s said about him (subscription required), although he tries to “just let it go through one ear and out the other.” He uses what he does hear as fuel:
“But I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, get better every day,” Bronny continued. “That’s what Rob wants me to do as a young guy, coming in, playing in the G League and learning from far on the bench watching the Lakers play.”
Bronny James uses the criticism he gets as fuel
Rob Pelinka said Bronny “prides himself” as a “3-and-D type of archetype.” He’s shooting 36.1% from three for the South Bay Lakers. Yes, it’s just the G League, but it’s an encouraging number. Being a 3-and-D threat can propel Bronny to having a long NBA career.
He isn’t shying away from the work, as he’s putting in the time, whether it be with South Bay or the Lakers. Bronny isn’t the player he was at the beginning of the season, which he attributed to becoming more confident.
That confidence was displayed in Thursday night’s loss, where Bronny scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Redick said he “wasn’t surprised” by Bronny’s performance and that LA believes he’ll be “an above-average to really good NBA shooter.” The first-year coach knows a thing or two about being a good shooter.
The criticism will continue to follow Bronny, even when LeBron retires. And guess what? The chatter that is impossible to ignore will only motivate him. He might as well use it to his advantage, right?
