After getting perhaps the biggest steal in the 2024 NBA Draft with Dalton Knecht in the first round, the Los Angeles Lakers did what most people believed they would with their second-round pick. The team chose to take a chance on USC star Bronny James, the son of superstar forward LeBron James.
However, the move has come with a lot of criticism, with some NBA analysts and fans of the storied franchise believing that the 19-year-old might not be a player who can hack it on the professional level right now and needs a lot of polish before cracking the team’s rotation in Los Angeles.
Despite all the grief the Lakers brass knew they’d be taking for bringing in a young player who needed to prove himself while also potentially being the result of nepotism. Rob Pelinka and company made the move, and the team will likely make history with the first father-son duo on the basketball floor in the NBA next season.
LeBron James is on cloud nine that the Lakers chose to bring his son to play alongside him in Los Angeles, which he wanted to accomplish in the twilight of his NBA career. The four-time NBA champion recently opened up about what it will be like to share the floor with Bronny James on The Shop.
“I am so excited for training camp,” LeBron said. “Having your son work with you, it’s like the greatest thing. I can’t wait for this moment. I really cannot wait to hit the floor; it’s going to be pretty surreal for me.”
At this point, it is uncertain when LeBron James and his son will be on the floor together during the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season. The consensus right now seems to be that Bronny James will spend most of, if not all, of his rookie season in Los Angeles with the South Bay Lakers in the G League to allow him to develop different areas of his game, namely on the offensive end of the basketball floor.
However, new head coach JJ Redick could throw Bronny James out there early in the same so the team can make NBA history. There’s no indication of what the team’s plans are moving forward, which will likely become more clear closer to the start of the season in October.
Magic Johnson Urges Lakers Fans to Be Patient with JJ Redick
The Los Angeles Lakers made the bold move to hire JJ Redick as their new head coach, even though he has no coaching experience on any level. This has been a highly criticized decision by the Lakers brass, but Magic Johnson has come to the first-timer’s defense.
Johnson believes fans of the storied franchise need to be patient and let Redick develop as a coach as he embarks on the incredibly tall task of being the new leader on the sideline in Los Angeles.
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