To play along with his dad or to not play along with his dad is the Shakespearean query for USC’s Bronny James. On Monday, former NBA guard Austin Rivers gave the 19-year-old hooper a considerate phrase of warning.
Amid hypothesis that Bronny James intends to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft and one way or the other discover his strategy to his father, LeBron James, on the Los Angeles Lakers subsequent season, Rivers defined why a household reunion within the NBA will not be the perfect factor for Bronny.
“I hope it doesn’t occur,” Rivers mentioned on ESPN on Monday. “I do not wish to see Bronny play along with his dad, I actually don’t. I went by one thing comparable…What occurs is lots of people begin to discredit the whole lot you’ve executed.”
"I don't wish to see Bronny play with [LeBron]… Him getting drafted & enjoying along with his dad, I don't need that negativity to return his approach. He doesn't deserve it… [He needs to] play someplace the place he can area of interest out his personal identification."- Austin Riverspic.twitter.com/GwBK2C4GOl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 5, 2024
Rivers, who’s performed for seven totally different NBA groups, is aware of what it’s prefer to have a paternal presence on the courtroom, even when his father, Doc Rivers, coached him somewhat than performed with him. Doc Rivers and Austin Rivers spent 4 seasons on the Los Angeles Clippers as a father—son duo.
Rivers theorized that Bronny could also be higher off becoming a member of a contender the place he can prioritize his personal progress and improvement, somewhat than going to the Lakers—or wherever LeBron finally ends up—simply to get overshadowed by his dad and closely scrutinized by critics.
Rivers mentioned, “Him going and enjoying along with his dad—at this level in his profession, simply because Bronny’s success isn’t at a top-tier stage—him getting drafted and enjoying along with his dad, I do not need that negativity to return his approach. As a result of he would not deserve it…I hope that he’s capable of play someplace the place he can area of interest out his personal identification.”
At the moment, most respected mock drafts predict Bronny will go undrafted. The Trojans guard has averaged 5.9 factors, 2.9 rebounds, and a pair of.6 assists in his freshman season to date.