No other second round draft pick gets any kind of flack for not performing, but Bronny already has a target on his back because he is Lebron’s son. I mean there are grown adults actively cheering on him to fail. It’s bizarre.
1995: Michael McDonald, Golden State Warriors NBA career: Out of New Orleans, the 6-foot-10 McDonald played in one NBA game. He saw four minutes and had one offensive rebound and a pair of turnovers. 1996: Ronnie Henderson, Washington Bullets Have no clue 2002: Mladen Sekularac, Dallas Mavericks NBA career: A 6-foot-8 forward from Montenegro, Sekularac became of nine players in this draft never to play a game 2006: Ejike Ugboaja, Cleveland Cavaliers NBA career: Another 55th overall pick who did not play in the Association, Ugboaja was a 6-foot-9 forward from Nigeria. 2019: Kyle Guy, New York Knicks NBA career: An NCAA champ at Virginia, Guy stuck around the NBA for three seasons, two with Sacramento. He averaged 3.1 points per game. 2023: Isaiah Wong, Indiana Pacers NBA career: Wong came from the University of Miami to the Heat. He played in one game as a rookie and made one basket. Etc . Here is article https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/how-have-55th-overall-nba-draft-picks-fared-since-1995/
Well, he did have 13/5/3 with 2 blocks in a win against CLE. He shot 50% from the field, played good defense, so there's that. He wasn't as good as Knecht, but he was the 2nd best guy on the team. Realistically, he CAN play in the D-League; everything else is an uphill battle for a 55th pick. On the other hand, he's marketable and he's on the Lakers.
Bronny lookin' pretty good so far, and I was one who thought his pick was PR. And I don't mean pick 'n roll. Make me look like a damned foo, kid! His defense looks pretty good; all I can ask at this point. Everything else is gravy. My gawd: the added pressure of the expectation. So far, so good.
2nd game in a row of a good Bronny's performance. He looks more confident in his offensive skills, he's trying to drop the tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders. He has to work a lot on lots of things, on both halfs of the court. I hope for him a 1st season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, just to start to keep confidence with the pro basketball.
Wait til his body fills out he’s going to be a load at his size and speed with that wingspan and vertical.
Bad news for those hoping Bronny will fail. Jj likes him and has a vision for him. A coach with a vision of a player's future is a great thing. Jj is basically telling Bronny, I want ball pressure from you. We can fix everything else. If you want pt, I need ball pressure. Jj is looking to maximize the skills players have and from hearing him talk, I would say he realizes to develop players, they have to play through their mistakes.
How often do we really talk about guys in terms of their total contract? And if we did, it’s less than $6M guaranteed. On the business side, is Bronny worth about $2M per year? I’d guess the answer is probably, yes.
Give it til the end of year 3, and then we'll have to pony up big to keep him after taking it in the shorts to develop him.
