With just over three weeks left in the NBA season, teams have about 12-13 games left to make their final push for the playoffs. Some will be aiming for the highest possible seed, while others will be fighting to qualify through the play-in tournament. So far this season, a few things are certain – the first is that three teams have already clinched their playoff spots (Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder). The second is that Bronny James, despite his solid performance in the G-League, still doesn’t look like an NBA player, but we all know that these leagues are completely different worlds. Still, Bronny remains optimistic, as he should be at his young age, that this situation will change soon.
Bronny Knows What They Say About Him
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Bronny said that he actually hears some of what is said about him and uses it to his advantage. At 20 years old, Bronny probably spends a lot of time on social media, and whether he wants to or not, he’s going to hear and see his name – for better or worse. This is what he had to say:
I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f**ng robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions. But I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, get better every day.
Without a doubt, having LeBron at home must help him tremendously, giving him confidence and emotional support. Even though LeBron has always been a superstar, that also means he has always been in the spotlight. He has spent more of his life in fame than out, and the most impressive thing about LeBron is that we rarely hear anything negative about him – no off-court incidents or embarrassing scandals. He’s undeniably a role model.
When it comes to Bronny, his stats in the NBA and G-League are completely different. In 16 games for the South Bay Lakers, Bronny is averaging 17.4 points on 31 percent shooting from three-point range, along with 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 30 minutes per game. Meanwhile, in 21 games with the Lakers this season, he is averaging just 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists in under five minutes per game. His longest playing time was 16 minutes and his highest scoring game was nine points.
But I think the biggest problem is the attention he gets knowing that he is not ready to be considered an NBA player. Yet he is on a franchise as big as the Lakers. The major networks prefer to talk about Bronny instead of the outstanding seasons the Cavs and Thunder are having, the tight MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, or how competitive the playoff race has become. Instead, they focus on Bronny, who hasn’t even played in half of the possible games and is averaging barely five minutes per game.
NBA’s Last Stretch of the Season
As we continue to watch Bronny try to become a consistent NBA player – and his 40-year-old father continue to break every possible record – the NBA is entering its most crucial stretch, with only three teams having clinched a playoff spot so far. In the West, the battle for the second seed is intense, with four teams (the Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers and Grizzlies) separated by just two games. Home court advantage is always important in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the three teams that have already qualified can breathe a little easier. In the West, the Thunder (57-12) need four wins to break the franchise record for wins in a season set in Oklahoma and eight to break the record set in Seattle. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers (56-13), who are on their first three-game losing streak of the season, need 11 wins to break the record set by LeBron James in 2009. The other team that has clinched a spot is the Boston Celtics, who were just sold for $6.1 billion, the largest sale in the history of major U.S. professional sports leagues.
