NBA exec feels Bronny James is 'set up for failure'

Bronny James' Lakers coaches and teammates have spoken glowingly about his work ethic and potential, but a few NBA executives believe the son of LeBron James is destined to flop as a pro.

In an interview with ESPN's Baxter Holmes , an Eastern Conference scout who evaluated Bronny's game through high school and college bluntly assessed his chances of succeeding in the NBA.

"You're set up for failure. It's like, what's the expectation here?" asked the scout.

An anonymous Eastern Conference executive felt that Bronny's inner circle, particularly his father, LeBron, and his agent, Rich Paul, had placed unrealistic expectations on the USC alum.

"The expectations for Bronny by the fan base and by LeBron and Rich Paul are not commensurate with the reality of his game. If they had any real idea of how far away Bronny is, they just would not have done this," he told ESPN.

Another Eastern Conference exec argued that Bronny "should have stayed in school" and that he could have potentially been "a really good" four-year college player if he were truly committed to a program.

The report also quoted Paul as saying that Bronny, and Bronny alone, made the choice to declare for the NBA draft after just one year in USC, which was cut short due to his cardiac arrest.

"Nobody pressured Bronny to go pro," Paul told ESPN. "Bronny had a choice to stay at USC, he had a choice to transfer somewhere else, or he had a choice to go pro."

Bronny will soon have a chance to prove his detractors wrong. All signs point to the Lakers keeping him on the main roster ahead of the season opener against the Timberwolves on Oct. 23.

Following the Lakers' preseason game on Sunday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick and star big man Anthony Davis couldn't stop raving about Bronny's commitment to the grind of the training camp.

While Redick called James Jr. "a great kid" and a "pleasure to be around," Davis referred to Bronny as "tough" while adding that he had the tools to become a high-caliber defensive stopper in the NBA.