Who will draft Bronny James? The Lakers should just say no

So now it’s official, Bronny James is entering next month’s NBA Draft and I know what you’re thinking and…

No.

So now it’s obvious, LeBron James‘the oldest son has the chance to play with his father and, wow, wouldn’t it be…

No!

So now it’s happening, the Lakers they’re going to pick Bronny so they can re-sign LeBron and…

No no no!

The Lakers should not draft Bronny James under any circumstances, with any pick, absolutely not, stay away, throw a pass, ignore him, sign someone else, anyone else.

See more information: Bronny James is ready to be himself, but the NBA still sees LeBron James Jr.

Adding Bronny James to the Lakers would be like lighting a cigarette at the gas pump.

Your lack of self-control would result in an explosion.

It was confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that Bronny, 19, is officially leaving college after one season at USC and turning pro.

Bronny wasn’t very impressive as a Trojan, averaging five points, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes per game after suffering an injury. cardiac arrest episode the previous summer. However, he was one of the best players in the recent NBA draft combines and later shined for all the teams during a pro day at the Lakers’ practice facility.

Some experts say he could go in the first round. Others say he is nothing more than a second-round pick. Some still believe he doesn’t deserve to be drafted.

But almost everyone agrees that the most predictable landing spot would be the Lakers.

Which would predictably be a disaster.

The Lakers have the 17th pick. It would be crazy to take it that high. The Lakers also have the 55th pick. It would be a favor to take you there.

Face it, they would only be drafting Bronny as an incentive for LeBron to re-sign with them after he opts out of his contract this summer. This is a terrible reason for talent acquisition and forms a shaky foundation upon which the Bronny Experience would quickly crumble.

When your resume just says “Nepotism,” you are doomed from the start.

That’s not to say someone shouldn’t call out Bronny. You can’t judge him on his season at USC because he was recovering from a heart problem. He apparently has a great basketball IQ, and even though he’s only 6 feet tall, his athletics is huge.

He could easily be a useful player and have great experience in many places. He deserves, like everyone called up, to play somewhere where he can be himself, leave his own footprints and be celebrated. He could certainly do it almost anywhere.

See more information: Bronny James isn’t thinking about playing for his father, he’d be happy to make it to the NBA

Anywhere except here.

If the Lakers draft him, first, they won’t be being fair to Bronny. The pressure on him to perform so closely with his father would be unsustainable.

It was bad enough when LeBron was sitting courtside at the Galen Center. Can you imagine how Bronny would feel with his dad sitting across from him in the locker room?

Can you imagine what it would be like to work so closely with your famous father? And how would your teammates react? Would they ever fully trust Bronny? Could he really be himself with his father always watching?

The problems would only get worse when they went to court. There would be incredibly cool moments, like a son-to-father ally or father-to-son cross-assistance, but they wouldn’t be enough to make up for the constant warmth on the boy’s shoulders.

Bronny would have to learn the professional game with his father watching his every move, judging, advising, lecturing, perhaps even scolding occasionally.

It would be one thing for Bronny to go two for ten in Salt Lake City in a game LeBron can only watch on TV. Another thing would be Bronny fighting in the Crypto.com Arena with LeBron breathing down his neck.

It wouldn’t be pretty. It’s not pretty anymore.

Bronny broached the subject with reporters at the draft combine when he said, “Yeah, it’s a lot.”

He added: “My dream has always been to get my name out there, make a name for myself and of course make it to the NBA… I never thought about just playing with my dad, but of course he is, he’s brought it up a few times. But yeah, I don’t think about it.”

See more information: What NBA scouts have to say about Bronny James as a draft prospect

Perhaps the only people who would feel as much pressure as Bronny would be the Lakers themselves. Signing Bronny would force them to give LeBron even more control as they prepare for consistently awkward situations.

So, let’s say, Bronny won’t get minutes and needs to be sent to the G-League. Do they ask LeBron or tell him? What if they ask him, what if he says no?

What if LeBron thinks Bronny isn’t being coached correctly? How ugly will this be? How many whispers will leak from the locker room then?

If the Lakers draft Bronny, the benefits will be outweighed by the circus. The daily focus will not be on victories and defeats, but on father and son. Their working relationship will dominate the debate on social media. With Bronny’s every move, the cameras will focus on LeBron’s reaction to that move.

No father and son have played in the NBA at the same time. It would be history if Bronny played somewhere else. It would be hysteria if he played for the Lakers.

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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.