Byron Scott: Bronny James Did Not Play Another Year in College Because of LeBron James’ Eagerness to Team Up

Bronny James has been the talk of the town as the nascent NBA season gathers steam. He has drawn mixed reactions. While his debut alongside dad LeBron James was hyped as well as celebrated, his performance, given his experience, has led to many raising questions whether he belongs in the league at all.

The LeBron legacy has put a lot of pressure on the youngster. Lakers legend Byron Scott also weighed in on the debate and stated that Bronny should have stayed in college.

Scott claimed that it was LeBron’s eagerness to play with his son that led to the 20-year-old entering the league.

“LeBron has stated this for so long. ‘I wanna play in the League or continue to play until my son gets there and I hope to have that chance of playing with my son in the NBA. Being the first father-son to do it.’ So I think that was a part of his decision to come out,” Scott said.

He mentioned that since LeBron has made his intentions clear the last two years or so, Bronny took the first chance he got. He became a second-round draft pick this summer.

“I still think staying at SC for one more year or even if he would have transferred somewhere where he can showcase his talent would have benefited him even more so. But I understand the fact that when your dad is talking like that for the past couple of years and you get that opportunity. Okay, I understand that opportunity.” 

He had many options. Bronny could have even joined a different college to prove himself. But now, he has to improve his game through possible G-League stints.

Bronny is going to play in the G-League 

It seems inevitable that Bronny will play in the G-League, this season. The 20-year-old guard is at the end of the Lakers’ rotation and could hardly get game time in the NBA. He will most likely play unimportant minutes or garbage time with limited opportunity. To. make things worse, he looked out of his depth in the preseason and in the league outings so far.

Bronny played in six games in the preseason, scoring 4.2 PPG and grabbing 1.5 rebounds. He received approximately 16 minutes per game. He returned with underwhelming performances barring a good showing in the preseason finale.

Bronny has only played three minutes so far this NBA season, during the opener. He is yet to score his first point in the league. While LeBron and the fans would be hoping that this won’t be an indication of how things would be through the season, it is clear that Bronny needs to improve, and G-League is the only way he will manage that.