It's hard not to feel bad for Bronny James after quote about critics

Bronny James has been receiving criticism for well over a year now, ever since the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft in order to pair him with his father. For the first time, Bronny has opened up on just what the last few months have been like, the toll it's taken and how he responds to the noise. James said he does one of two things: He either tunes it out or uses it as fuel.

LeBron James has been the most covered and talked about athlete for two and a half decades. The coverage has run the gamut, from the ultimate superfans saying he's the greatest player ever to others saying he's not even close to Michael Jordan. Unfortunately for Bronny James, he's been put in the middle of it.

Bronny has received a ton of hate because some believe he made the NBA due solely to nepotism. It has caused some to go overboard but forget that he is human. Every day, he's slowly showing that he does belong on an NBA roster.

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Is it unfair to criticize Bronny James?

We can be honest: Nepotism certainly played a role in Bronny James getting drafted, and of fan perception of the pick. After averaging 4.8 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits in his sole year in college, it seemed that his draft positioning was a little questionable.

Before his freshman season at USC started, James suffered a cardiac arrest, causing him to miss most of training camp as well as the start of the season. Bronny is behind the development curve, but since he's been drafted, he keeps getting a better bit by bit.

In the G-League, Bronny has come on strong of late, averaging 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on .431/.361/.800 shooting splits. Although it's not the NBA, it's a promising sign for a 20-year-old, to excel when there are NBA veterans and top-tier prospects.  

James is showing his talent. Although he's just 6-foot-2, he is extremely strong and athletic. Physically, he's similar in stature to teammate Gabe Vincent and New York Knicks guard Miles McBride. When the Lakers were resting players at the Denver Nuggets, he played 16 minutes, had five points, and finished as a plus-eight in box plus minus.

Which ultimately gets to the heart of why the criticism of Bronny has been a bit unfair: James was the 55th pick in the draft and has largely played in garbage time but is talked about and criticized like a top draft pick getting major minutes. The third overall pick in last year's draft, Reed Sheppard, was one of the most highly touted prospects in the country and has averaged 3.9 points on .332/.279/.813 splits — not far off of James' 1.6 points on .263/.227/.727 splits.

Even the first and second pick, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, haven't played up to the expectations of their draft position, and yet they're given broad leeway. James has improved every step of the way this season and has shown that he has earned the right to be on an NBA roster, impressive growth considering all the stuff he's had to deal with while trying to get better.