After struggling mightily during NBA Summer League play, Bronny James, son of the legendary LeBron James, had consecutive solid outings for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers selected Bronny, deemed by many to be an undrafted prospect, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, pairing him with his famous father.
Former Boston Celtics star Cedric Maxwell, a two-time NBA champion and MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals, took a little jab at the younger James after his ugly performance against the Celtics on July 15, 2024. He then went on to say that any criticism Bronny receives as a pro is “fair now.”
Cedric Maxwell: Did (Bronny) Build Another House of Bricks?
During an episode of the “Cedric Maxwell Podcast,” Maxwell and co-host Jose Pavon were catching up on some of the latest Celtics news, including what’s going on during their NBA Summer League session. The Celtics recently handled the Lakers, winning 88-74, in a game where Bronny played 25 minutes and had two points on 1-for-5 shooting. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
“Did he build another house out there of bricks?” Maxwell asked Pavon regarding Bronny’s shooting performance.
When Pavon pointed out that Bronny was 0-for-12 (actually 0-for-11) from 3-point land at that point, he asked Maxwell if that was a big deal or not.
“Big deal,” Maxwell said. “He has a guaranteed contract that most players don’t have, three-year deal. That is strictly about his dad. Let’s not sugarcoat this, it’s about LeBron James wanting his son on that team. He had the power to pull the strings and make it happen.
“We wouldn’t be talking about Bronny James if, in fact, he was any other player. We wouldn’t even be talking about him in that vein, but because he’s the son of one of the greatest players to ever play the game, it’s fair now.”
Maxwell Said LeBron Opened the Door to any Criticism of Bronny
The criticism of the younger James has quieted down briefly after Bronny strung together a couple of solid games for the Lakers. On July 17, James put up 12 points in an 87-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The following night, he made five of his 10 shots, including going 1-for-3 from 3-point land, scoring 13 points in a 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bronny went 0-for-8 from 3-point range in his Summer League debut, a 99-80 loss to the Houston Rockets. He scored eight points on 3-for-14 shooting.
In four games, he’s averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds, but he’s shooting 15.8% from 3-point range. Overall, he’s shooting 35.0% from the floor (14-for-40).
Bronny’s criticism will continue, and Maxwell said it’s LeBron who helped put a target on his son’s back.
“LeBron opened it up by saying, ‘Look, I want to play with my son,” Maxwell said.
“I don’t think he can help the Lakers. I could be wrong. Matter of fact, I hope I’m wrong. I hope that Bronny is able to play, but, man, that’s a tough road to hold when your father is one of the best players to ever play the game.
“In the NBA, either you have it or you don’t. You don’t just develop overnight in the NBA. Your tools have to be there. Is he an exceptional shooter? Well, 0-for-12, that means no. Is he an exceptional defender? He’s 6-1 and a half. Guards in the NBA are 6-4, 6-5 now.
“What does he bring to the table that you can’t get right now from essentially anybody in the G-league? God bless him. I think it’s monumental what happened, but what I see is a train wreck. I hope it’s not, but what I see is a train wreck.”
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2-Time Celtics Champ Says Bronny James Criticism Is Now Justified