The first round of the NBA draft took place last night. Despite it being a less-than-stellar draft class, the media focused heightened attention on LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, and where he may end up.
It came as no surprise that Bronny was not selected in the first round. This was the first year the NBA and their partner ESPN split the draft into two days to ensure their coverage of Bronny would satisfy fans and executives at the network.
One of the first segments of the day on the conglomerate’s morning show, First Take, discussed the best fit for Bronny James. Stephen A. Smith had two teams he thought would be great for Bronny’s development. He was joined by NBAPA President C.J. McCollum, who believes that Bronny will develop in the G League and eventually end up as a Laker.
“I completely agree with you that Bronny will be in the G League developing,” Smith told McCollum. “I do not agree with you that he is going to be inside that Lakers locker room. And the reason why is because of the combination of their players in the locker room, combined with the media that comes with being in Tinseltown, when you are talking about the Los Angeles Lakers. When you talk about a distraction, there’s no way around it… I’m sure LeBron is equipped to handle things. I’m sure Bronny, who has shown himself to be a spectacular young kid in terms of just his mental makeup, his maturity, his core decency… all of those things are true but sometimes you have to sit back and wonder what that life would be like for all parties involved if he indeed is in that locker room with his dad.”
Smith’s sentiments are correct. First-year head coach JJ Redick and teammates wouldn’t benefit from the media circus that would descend on Los Angeles if the duo were to play together. However, Smith had two teams he believed would be great for the development of James.
“When I think about Bronny strictly from a basketball standpoint, I would tell you Denver and Philadelphia are teams that come to my mind,” Smith said on First Take. “When your number one option on offense is a big and your focus is on them, and obviously they are the focal point of the offense, you as a guard—particularly someone that comes off the bench known for their defensive prowess compared to your offensive ability—have the opportunity to learn on the court.”
These are valid points for two organizations striving for success every year and have shown in the last five years that they can develop guards. It’ll be interesting as we progress through the second round on ESPN today.
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