The lackluster Summer League performances of Bronny James continue to raise questions about his potential as a future NBA player. The situation worsened when Jaylen Brown appeared to say, “I don’t think Bronny is a pro.” Amidst the distress, Paul Pierce recently came to the rescue of the 19-year-old while revealing a plan for him to get his confidence back.
Advertisement
While reacting to Brown’s harsh comments on the latest UNDISPUTED episode, Pierce admitted that Bronny’s confidence was low. However, instead of doubling down on the Boston Celtics star’s take, the 46-year-old offered practical advice to the teenager. He encouraged Bronny to revisit old clips of his game-changing performances, expressing,
“I don’t really take a lot of stock in the Summer Leauge but you would like to see some positive signs. And right now, Bronny’s confidence is down… He has to find his confidence and in order to do that, you gotta go back and watch your tapes like when you play well. Whether it be in college, high school, wherever that is, pickup game. What did you do right in those games that made you feel the way you feel and produce the way you produced…”
Jaylen Brown appears to say “I don’t think Bronny is a pro” at Summer League
“Summer League is for stars or potential stars. Bronny’s confidence is down.” — @PaulPierce34 pic.twitter.com/uNMjJtRZYd
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 16, 2024
These supportive words countered the ongoing negative narrative around LeBron James’ eldest son. It also gave Bronny a way to regain his form. At the same time, it hinted at how The Truth might have used a similar method during the tough times of his career. This made the advice even more actionable, as Pierce attained the pinnacle of NBA success by sticking to his beliefs.
So, Bronny might want to follow Pierce’s advice for now. After all, the support around him is dwindling rapidly with each passing day.
Bronny James needs to step up
Contrary to Pierce, Skip Bayless expressed frustration with Bronny’s gameplay. Despite admitting to rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers rookie, the 72-year-old sided with Brown’s opinion to a certain extent. Criticizing the teenager’s efforts publicly, the analyst declared,
“It’s tearing me apart watching his games… I’m desperately clinging to the notion that if you put him with better players, he’ll look better… Back to Jaylen Brown, if he did say that… I get that, it’s just a flash judgment off a few minutes of Summer League action… I must admit I’ve gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘How good he can be how quickly?’ to ‘Can he play?’… There’s no attack mode to him at all”.
.@RealSkipBayless is starting to get worried about Bronny James:
“I’ve gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘how good he can be’ to ‘can he play?’” pic.twitter.com/f5CI0ribXl
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 16, 2024
The winds are blowing against Bronny, and over time, they are picking up speed to make matters worse for him. As a result, it’s for him to silence his critics with his performances. Can he rise to this challenge in the coming weeks?