NBA
Paul Pierce now wants Bronny James’ return to NBA: ‘We want to see a little more’
Being the son of NBA superstar LeBron James has brought a great number of challenges for rookie guard Bronny, who has been shuffling between the NBA and the G League while the purple and gold organization puts him through a development plan. After receiving a lot of criticism, now the player’s performances have been improving.
The first-year athlete has remained focus on the prize, keeping his head down and working hard in practice. This past weekend, he even dropped 30 points and everyone around the basketball world are starting to come to terms with the fact that he actually is worthy of his opportunities and has the potential to play in the NBA.
This is why Celtics legend Paul Pierce had an interesting take on the rookie this weekend, and explained why he now believes that Bronny should come back to Lakers roster. The Hall of Famer said he specifically wants to see more father and son time on the floor.
Report: Bronny James has generated over $50 million for the Lakers in jersey sales https://t.co/PC5rE8lB5G
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) December 16, 2024
“This season was about Bron playing with Bronny, and we wanted all to see that,” he started out during another episode of his Ticket & The Truth podcast with Kevin Garnett. “We want to see a little more of that. … Enjoy the greatness of LeBron while you can. If you can trade AD and get some pieces for the future, maybe you do that.”
The ex-Boston star is convinced that the Lakers know that this campaign isn’t about reaching glory, but about respecting the process for a greater good at the end of the tunnel. “This year is not about winning. This is about Bron, Bronny. Let’s develop and connect,” he insisted. “Let’s see what we got.”
“Bron has broken every record, he has nothing else to prove. All he wanted to do for years was, ‘I want to play with my son.’ We allowing that to happen, let’s get him [Bronny] out of G League, bring him up for the rest of the season because we not going anywhere this year. … Let’s bring Bronny up,” Pierce said.
If the 20-year-old continues to perform at the high level he’s shown in recent G-League outings, they he could see an increased role in Los Angeles as the seasons unfolds. However, the strategy right now is for him to continue getting more reps with the South Bay team.
Bronny has reportedly generated over $50 million for the Lakers while many basketball icons are starting to gain respect for his game
LeBron James said that despite not being courtside to watch his eldest son play in the G-League, he’s incredible proud of how he’s carried himself these past months. The all-time NBA leading scorer commended the rookie player for always working hard in training, because it always pays off.
“Just keep stacking the days, keep putting in the work, the work always prevail at the end of the day. Its just great to see him getting back to the flow, getting back to his game, and getting back to him playing free and going on and just playing the game that he loves and know how to play,” LeBron praised the 20-year-old.
In Bronny’s past two performances, he’s dropped 14 of his last 28 shots inside the arc. This means that he’s been able to improve his shooting to a 50% rate from the field, which is rather impressive considering he’s one of the shortest players on the court.
Even rap icon Snoop Dogg has had something to say about the rookie star. “There’s no such thing as a breakout performance in the G League,” he told Stephen A. Smith this weekend. “You get some experience. You get some know-how to develop that killer instinct – playing with guys who are more your level.”