Not that long ago, Los Angeles Lakers’ rookie guard Bronny James was a player that most basketball fans were rooting for to find success. He was the talk of college basketball and was one of the most successful NIL athletes in the nation.

On3 had given him a shocking NIL valuation of $5.9 million and was a very popular player with the USC Trojans. He was at that point in time the No. 1 player on the NIL Top 100.

Now, he has been receiving harsh criticism for being drafted by the Lakers and playing with his dad.

After being selected with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, James struggled during NBA Summer League. He showed some flashes of big-time potential, especially on the defensive side of the court, but he struggled with his offensive game.

Many were already calling him a “bust.”

That being said, James was a late second-round pick. Very few late second-round picks are able to come in and immediately make an impact. The way that the media has covered James has been very unfair.

David Aldridge, a prominent NBA reporter, recently spoke out with a bold take about James. He thinks that LeBron James’ son could have profited from playing one more year of college basketball.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people, a lot of scouts, a lot of NBA college scouts. I think – this is David’s opinion, that doesn’t mean it’s right – that I would have liked to see Bronny go back to college this year and a place, a school where he could have been the guy. There would have been 50 schools, 50 (Division I) schools where he could have been the guy this year and put up big numbers and learned what it was like to be the focal point of a team, a college team, a Division 1 college team. And then you could come into the NBA on your own terms.”

Aldridge also brought up a very important point. James recently underwent open-heart surgery that slowed his development process.

“Obviously, he had the open-heart surgery. People seem to have forgotten the kid had open-heart surgery last year. That’s a major setback to a season.”

Despite all of the negative media attention, the younger James has remained grounded and focused on improving. His teammates on the Lakers and his coaches have been very vocal in their support of him.

Staying in college might have been a very helpful thing for James. However, he’ll have a great opportunity to work with a quality NBA coaching staff starting now. Within the next few years, there is a good chance that he’ll be ready to play.

Nothing about Los Angeles drafting James was geared towards him becoming an immediate impact player. Fans and the media need to remember he was drafted No. 55 overall, not No. 1.

James simply needs to focus on being coachable and working hard. If he does those two things, he will be just fine and should develop into at the very least a quality NBA role player.