Bronny James admits he felt the pressure in his debut NBA season as he struggled to hit the ground running with the Los Angeles Lakers, as the 20-year-old faced intense scrutiny and claims of being a nepotism baby.
Selected by the Lakers as the second pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, the USC Trojans graduate made history when he and LeBron James became the first father-son duo to play in the league.
Whilst it was a memorable moment for the star and his family, he quickly found himself under a lot of pressure to perform but never quite managed to step it up in LA; averaging 6.7 minutes, 2.3 points, and 1.7 rebounds per game across 23 appearances.
He admits it’s something that got to him, although LeBron and the team did try to protect the youngster.
“I was under a lot of pressure,” Bronny shared to media, as per OutKick. “It was getting to me a little bit.
“Working is a distraction from everything. I love just coming into the gym and working and talking to my coaches and watching film. All of the stuff that can help me get better every day.
“It’s a distraction from all of that stuff. So, just going to continue to do that and see where it takes me. It’s going good so far.”
Can Bronny step it up in 2025/26?
His form on the big stage eventually saw him sent to the G League to try to develop his game away from the pressure, and he did manage to respond there with the South Bay Lakers by recording averages of 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.
He demonstrated he does have the talent, now it’s about if he can translate it to the NBA and put up the numbers at the highest level when the Lakes next take to the court in the 2025/26 season.
With one year under his belt of understanding the expectations and dynamics of professional basketball, he could begin his sophomore year with a refreshed mindset and approach.
But it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to significantly improve the Lakers’ standing in the competitive Western Conference as they chase their first championship since 2020.
The NBA Playoffs came to another disappointing end at the Staples Center as the Lakers crashed out of the First Round to the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing the series 4-1 overall.
Their weaknesses at center was left dangerous exposed, and the Timberwolves took full advantage to book their progression.
After trading for Luka Doncic at the expense of Anthony Davis, Los Angeles will now be in the market for a center to back up the Slovenian and LeBron.
Read the full article here
