While Bronny James has seen limited action at the NBA level, spending most of his time developing with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League, his name has been at the center of one of the season’s most heated debates.
A recent discussion between former NBA stars Gilbert Arenas and Rashad McCants has only intensified the conversation, with opinions split on whether James deserves more playing time or is simply benefiting from his famous last name.
Gilbert Arenas talks about Bronny James’ potential in the NBA
So far, Bronny has appeared in 18 games with the Lakers, averaging just 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 4.2 minutes per game.
Despite these modest numbers, Gilbert Arenas believes James has the potential to be one of the league’s top rookies-if given the chance.
“If they [the Lakers] played him 36 [minutes], he’d be averaging 12 [points], four [rebounds], and four [assists]. He’d be top-five for Rookie of the Year,” Arenas confidently stated on his show, Gil’s Arena.
His bold claim immediately sparked a debate, particularly with Rashad McCants, who argued that Bronny is only on the Lakers roster because of LeBron James‘ influence.
According to McCants, the younger James‘ presence in the NBA is less about his talent and more about boosting ratings and generating revenue for the franchise.
The exchange between Arenas and McCants quickly went viral, accumulating over 2.1 million views on X by Thursday morning.
Success in the G-League raises more questions
Although his NBA minutes have been limited, Bronny has shown a different side of his game in the G-League, where he has played 16 games between the Tip-Off Tournament and the regular season.
In those matchups, he has averaged 17.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists, proving that he can be a productive player when given more opportunities.
His G-League performances have only fueled the debate further on whether he should get a bigger role with the Lakers.
Earlier this week, the Lakers announced that Bronny would be recalled to the main roster, joining the team on the road for their game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
