DeMarcus Cousins Questions If Lakers Are 'Serious' After Drafting Bronny James

Los Angeles will be under the microscope this season.

DeMarcus Cousins in 2018. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted guard Bronny James out of USC in June's NBA draft, there's no question that the Lakers improved their general vibes. Acquiring the son of your team's star—legendary forward LeBron James—will do that.

However, it remains to be seen whether James will actually help Los Angeles on the court. His NBA bonafides have drawn skepticism, and it's clear he has a long way to go before becoming a serviceable professional.

Count former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins among the James experiment's many critics. On Tuesday's edition of Run It Back, Cousins suggested to host Michelle Beadle that drafting James indicated the Lakers no longer cared about winning.

"I don't really think the Lakers are serious anymore," Cousins said. "I love everything that (LeBron) stands for ... as far as the Lakers actually competing, I don't know. I take that as a sign that they aren't really serious."

"I don't really think the Lakers are serious anymore." - @boogiecousins #DeMarcusCousins thinks the #Lakers pairing #LeBron with #BronnyJames shows they aren't serious about winning anymore 😱🤔

WE'RE LIVE RIGHT NOW: https://t.co/1ZUVUwg6po#RunItBack #NBA #FanDuel pic.twitter.com/EMzR3TSocE

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 15, 2024

Cousins's comment is notable because he was once under contract with a James-era Los Angeles squad—the 2020 championship team, for which he never played after an offseason ACL tear.

"The way their season ended last year with the high expectations, I expected more from them as far as making moves," Cousins said. "I do like the kid from Tennessee [guard Dalton Knecht] that they drafted. I think he can be an instant impact player for them. They had a lot of concerns last year that I don't think really were addressed."

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