Is The Media Setting Bronny James Up For Failure?

Outside of NBA free agency and men’s Team USA Basketball this summer, the story has been Bronny James . The oldest son of the face of the NBA is now in the NBA. Drafted 55th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny made his debut in Summer League earlier this month. With averages of 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds, he looks like a player drafted 55th thus far. To James’ credit though, he showed a vast improvement in his shot-making ability in the final two games that he played. He hit double figures in scoring on both of those occasions. These statistics for a rookie aren’t the worst. But it seems that the public should expect more with the amount of coverage he’s garnering.

In my time watching sports (over 25 years at this point), I can’t recall a second-round pick who garnered so much attention. But Bronny is in a unique position. We’ve never had a kid of a former player in the NBA be as hyped. A face of the league’s kid has never had a tangible opportunity to be drafted while their parent was still playing. And you know, the media loves them a money-making story. Sometimes that ideology laughs in the face of logic, and I find that to be the case when it comes to Bronny.

I’m much more of a pragmatic thinker — and we’re inching toward the start of the NBA’s regular season. So, I wonder what Bronny’s reality will look like as he interacts with opposing players. With all the coverage he’s received, most sports fans couldn’t tell you who was drafted number one in this year’s draft. That singular sentiment can lead to a series of “welcome to the league” moments. These would be welcome to the league moments that we haven’t seen since the likes of… Caitlin Clark? The media bears some responsibility for the heightened expectations of Bronny’s performances.

As media, we are better served to add more context. The bar of expectation should be lowered for someone drafted halfway through the second round of the NBA draft. None of us can even confidently name any other second-rounders off the top of our heads. I would rather us simmer our expectations a bit and have Bronny exceed them. It’s not about a lack of confidence in him, but it’s also out of respect for the many players who have proven to be more ready at this stage in their careers.

There are players whose talents should garner more coverage, but that doesn’t correlate to good business. Ultimately, this is the crux of the matter. In the meantime, Bronny has to keep the main thing, the main thing. He has to control what he can, and I hope that the outside noise doesn’t get to him. The more people see the work he is putting in, the more respect he will garner from his peers. But the attention we’ve bestowed upon him was not earned the way his father earned it. Due to that, life will come at him fast during his first substitution for a game with his pops.