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Former All-Star Lakers Rival Calls Out 'Awkward' Bronny James NBA Start

Matt Levine

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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When the Los Angeles Lakers decided to draft rookie guard Bronny James in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, they invited all sorts of criticism toward them. Los Angeles drafted James because they believed he could help the team out down the line but many were critical of the decision.

Despite not having a great freshman season while at USC, James still got drafted into the NBA. Part of this is due to him being the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James.

However, Bronny has kept his head down and just focused on working throughout the entire process. But that hasn't stopped many people from expressing different opinions on the matter.

Former NBA star guard Gilbert Arenas had some thoughts on James during a new episode of his Underdog Fantasy podcast "Gil's Arena. He called the stint in the NBA a little awkward.

"When you look at the Jason Kidd's, the Steve [Nash's], they're passers but because they're so aggressive, like, 'I need to touch the paint, here I know where to pass,'" Arenas said. "[Bronny James'] game is passive, all the way around. Everything is secondary to him and it's just this awkward thing when he's supposed to shoot it, he passes. When he's supposed to pass it, he shoots it."

Arenas provided Bronny with a map of where to model his game while still being a little critical of his overall performance. The young guard hasn't looked very good in the limited time, showing that he is not ready to be a full-time NBA player as of yet.

"The problem with Bronny James' game is he's not aggressive and when you're not looking to score it becomes a problem," Arenas said. "When you're looking to make passes, you miss everything – right, if you just be ultra-aggressive, like I'm looking to score, you stop me then I make a pass. But if you sit here trying to make a pass and rim is right here and then it becomes an 'Oh s---' [moment]... it becomes a harder game."

James will shuffle between the NBA and G-League as he tries to hone in on his skills. He is still a raw prospect entering the league so the Lakers will try to give him time to work on everything.

If they can be patient with him, Bronny could eventually become an impactful member to the roster.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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