With the preseason winding up, fans can’t wait to witness the historic moment Bronny James steps onto the court with his dad LeBron James during an NBA game. The hype, however, is likely to plummet after the buzz and the media spectacle around this dies down. All the more since the junior James has shown little to no promise so far in the preseason
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NBA commentator Dan Patrick predicted that the 20-year-old will spend the entirety of the season in the G-League. He believes that the former USC guard still has a lot to develop and Bronny should focus on that this year. Easier said than done with all the glare and pressure on him from within the Lakers organization and outside.
“I think he should be spending the entire season in the G-League,” Patrick said.
On an episode of The Sports Reporters, the media veteran admitted that the father-son duo is easily the biggest newsmaker in the league right now. He even claimed that the two might dominate the reigning Champions, the Boston Celtics, in making headlines in the regular season.
So Patrick is expecting some celebratory appearances from Bronny on opening night and around Christmas. Outside of that, he doesn’t think the young guard should have a spot on the Lakers rotation for his own good.
The 67-year-old recalled watching the Lakers vs Warriors preseason game where fans inside the arena were chanting Bronny’s name, asking the coach to put the youngster on. Patrick said that he has a lot of pressure on him despite being a 55th overall pick in the second round.
“If it helps LeBron, keeps LeBron engaged, keeps LeBron in the Lakers uniform…then I think it’s a positive…It’s a cute story,” he added.
Patrick also dismissed an ongoing narrative against the Lakers. A lot of people believe that the franchise is focusing too much on getting the storyline right to please LBJ rather than building a Championship roster, but the media veteran disagrees.
Dan Patrick disagrees with DeMarcus Cousins’ take
DeMarcus Cousins believes that the team’s recent moves show that the Lakers are not prioritizing competing for a Championship. On an episode of Run It Back, the former NBA star questioned their intentions.
The Lakers didn’t end the season well last time and they haven’t made any good acquisitions in the offseason to make up for their mistakes. So, Cousins isn’t entirely wrong. Moreover, the selection of an inexperienced head coach like JJ Redick also adds to these speculations.
However, Patrick has a different perspective on this. He said, “No, they’re serious. Because LeBron wants to win one more title, he’s still chasing Mike [Michael Jordan]. So, it’s going to be a big big story.”
Whether the Lakers are serious about the upcoming season or not, we will know in a few months. As of now, the franchise is gearing up to create one of the biggest moments in the league’s recent history.
