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Bronny James is no ordinary rookie. For a 55th overall draft pick, Bronny has received a lot of hype and attention as the son of NBA great LeBron James -- and the culmination of years of planning saw father and son share the court in an NBA game for the first time in league history when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in their season-opening game.
Since then, the Lakers have demoted Bronny to the G League, where he will receive regular minutes and develop in a less-stressful environment with the South Bay Lakers. But the 19-year-old continues to deal with criticism that the James family hoped to avoid.
Paul George will not be silent
On the latest episode of his podcast, Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George pleaded for calm and understanding as Bronny attempts to carve out his own path in professional basketball -- in comments that LeBron will surely appreciate.
"I do think it's unfair to some degree that you don't allow him to kind of navigate and find himself," George said. "This is a kid we're talking about who's trying to find his way in the NBA and trying to live out his dreams. And no one starts out perfect at anything...He's trying to figure this out while doing something that he can say no one has done ever that played before him. No one has played with their father. Like, that could be a whole different level of pressure to play with your father."
However, George also acknowledged the validity of some of the criticism that has been sent Bronny's way. The younger James did not have the look of an NBA-ready player during Summer League, and the Lakers keeping Bronny on the roster only through opening night can be interpreted as an admission that the franchise wanted to get the father-son moment out of the way as quickly as possible.
"The fact of the matter is, yeah, he was the 55th pick but he's also the son of the best or one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball," George said. "The same way he's dealt with the pressure and the target on his back through high school, he's going to deal with that now in the NBA."
Only time will tell as to whether Bronny can become the three-point specialist and defensive stopper that head coach J.J. Redick has envisioned. But for now, the former USC Trojan will get away from the noise and will have an opportunity to quietly develop his game.