Last night, LeBron James and the Los Angeles went into Philadelphia to take on a depleted 76ers team. Anthony Davis was active for the contest; however, he was forced to leave the game in the first quarter due to an abdominal strain. Because of this Bronny James was able to receive some decent minutes, 15 to be exact in the first half. However, he's also been tearing it up in the three games he's played in for the Lakers' G League squad, the South Bay Lakers. There, he's averaging 23 points on 43 percent shooting from the floor.
Unfortunately, his play there didn't translate to the NBA court on the TNT stage yesterday. He went scoreless while shooting five times (three from deep), accrued three rebounds, one assist, and a block. The Lakers would also go on to lose 104-118, with Tyrese Maxey shouldering the load with 43 big points. Right now, LeBron's squad is fifth in the Western Conference, so they are still in decent shape. However, who isn't is Bronny James, who continues to look less and less ready every time he steps onto the floor.
Stephen A Smith Feels LeBron Has Put Bronny James In A Tough Spot
As it stands, he's "1-for-16 on the season over 44 minutes of action," according to Sports Illustrated. The reason Bronny is in the league to begin with is because of his father, something folks continue to point out online and in the media. Stephen A Smith is one of those in the latter, although he still wants to see Bronny succeed. However, he's growing tired of LeBron James and head coach JJ Redick giving him chances when he's not there yet. "I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this," Smith began. "Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story. And then reality sets in."
Stephen A Smith goes on, "We love what we're seeing from him in the G League because that's where you belong as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn—which I believe he has the potential to do, I am rooting for Bronny James. It would be cruel to root against him. He's a wonderful kid; I wish him nothing but the best." He then lists off his disappointing stats before adding, "You know what people are saying. You know what they're going to do to this kid." He then finished off his soliloquy by asking a tough but appropriate question, "How are you doing him favors? We know that he's not ready yet." It's going to remain to be a tough road for Bronny and it this point the view on his current outlook looks clearer and clearer by the second, sadly.