Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, who was selected with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has understandably played sparingly for his new team so far. The 6-foot-10 USC product, the son of 20-time All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James, played in just two games and made just one basket. He averages 1.0 points on 25 percent shooting, 1 assist, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 4.0 minutes.

On a recent episode of former NBA All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas’ Underdog show “Gil’s Arena,” Arenas and guests Josiah Johnson, Rashad McCants, Brandon Jennings and Kenyon Martin explained Los Angeles’ decision to draft the 20-year-old James. Kind of volatile in the second round.

The subject is the former owner, Dr. When it comes to Jerry Buss and his daughter Jeanie, the current owner, former Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings shooting guard Rashad McCants has called out what he believes is favoritism behind the Bronny James draft pick.

“If we’re going to criticize his father, guess who’s going to be criticized?” McCants said in response to a reference to Jeanie and Jerry Buss. “Guess who will also be criticized?”

At another point in the podcast, McCants elaborated on his complaints about the decision to select Bronny James in the draft at a time when he likely wasn’t quite ready for the NBA and was perhaps prioritized over other talent.

“He steals the spotlight from everyone because of who his father is,” McCants said. “It’s not his fault. He’s been put in this situation… It’s not a situation where he can thrive early and come out of it. We have to expect him to succeed. We have to wait for him to improve… He was LeBron James’ son before he was drafted 55th… That’s not the point.”

McCants knows what he’s talking about. Over four NBA seasons from 2005-09, McCants averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals on .431/.368/.741 shooting, mostly off the bench.

Arenas, himself a former second-round draft pick, talked about the relatively early implementation of second-round picks in the league.

“How many players didn’t even make the drafted roster (this year)? Eight or nine already. Come on, there’s no expectation on these (second round) guys, man,” Arenas said. “The fact that he came into the pre-season game, he should be fine. I came into the pre-season game and I fell… Robert Horry gave me a hard shoulder, I’ve never seen that before, and I went down.”

Arenas, a three-time All-Star, was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 31st pick out of Arizona in the 2001 NBA Draft. He became one of the best point guards in the league when he was transferred to the Washington Wizards, but his career was cut short due to personal drama and injury issues. He last played in the NBA in 2011-12, then spent a year abroad with CBA club Shanghai Sharks before hanging up his sneakers for good.

“But that’s what a second-round pick is like,” Arenas continued. “You get into these little minutes of games. And once the season starts, he might come in here and there, miss 10 games, go to the G League, play a few games there, then come back up.” . “He can sit out… If he plays 16-plus real games, he’s done well.”

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