Bronny James’ struggles continue to mount as he enters Year 3, raising questions about his NBA future.
James went scoreless while committing 4 turnovers in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 101-89 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in Las Vegas, leaving him with more giveaways (12) than points (11) through four exhibition outings.
The rough preseason showing comes as the 2024 No. 55 pick gears up for his first season without his father, LeBron James, as a teammate, and with the Lakers needing to trim their roster from 16 players to 15 before Monday’s cutdown deadline.
James’ slow start has drawn pointed criticism from the NBA world, with some casting doubt on his worthiness of a roster spot.
Bronny James Catches Flak As Turnovers Outweigh Points Amid Abysmal NBA Preseason
Across four preseason games, James is averaging 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.5 steals, while shooting just 26.7% overall and 14.3% from 3-point range in 17.5 minutes a night.
The 22-year-old has still earned praise for his defensive intensity at times after outlining his goal to build on last season’s playoff run. However, James’ inability to generate consistent offense from anywhere on the floor has been tough for many to overlook.
“Bronny James this [preseason]: 11 points, 12 turnovers. Embarrassing that he’s in the NBA,” House of Lowlights captioned a reel of some of the youngster’s preseason mishaps, ranging from careless turnovers to badly missed jumpers and a general lack of ball control.
James’ growing pains were on full display Tuesday, as he missed both of his shot attempts and finished with a team-worst minus-18 plus-minus in just 11 minutes off the bench.
“The Bronny James experiment is getting out of control,” sports content creator Mike Daddino captioned another lowlights compilation.
A Boston Celtics fan was blunter, writing that “Bronny James might legitimately be the worst NBA player I’ve ever seen.”
Some also linked James’ shortcomings to his father, who left LA to join the Philadelphia 76ers over the offseason.
One fan wrote that “LeBron saying Bronny is better than some of the cats on League Pass is not the first and won’t [be] the last time his words have come back to bite him,” adding that, three years in, his son “doesn’t belong in the NBA.”
Another account, while calling the Lakers guard a “good kid,” asserted that he “wasn’t even good at USC” and that “LeBron James forced Bronny into the NBA so he can be the first ‘father and son’ to play, thinking it will enhance his legacy.”
“If Bronny were to get waived by the Lakers, there’s not one team outside of the 76ers that would even think about picking him up,” one more fan claimed.
Lakers coach JJ Redick offered a more measured assessment after Tuesday’s loss, crediting James with a strong September and summer. However, Redick said, “I don’t think he’s played well in the four preseason games, but he’s had good practices. Again, some of it is just rhythm, some of it is who he’s playing with.”
The third-year coach noted that James has logged many of his minutes in the second half alongside the team’s two-way players and that on Tuesday he played with Rafael Castro, who had been with the Lakers for three days, adding that those groups have not always put him in position to succeed.
This comes after the defensive-minded guard took noticeable strides as an outside shooter in Year 2, shooting 38.6% from deep on 1.4 attempts per game before appearing in eight playoff contests.
In a show of confidence, LA guaranteed James’ full $2.3 million salary for the 2026-27 campaign over the summer, after only $1.3 million had been guaranteed.
His next opportunity to get back on track comes Friday, when the Lakers host the Denver Nuggets in their preseason finale before opening the regular season at home against the Warriors on Oct. 21.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.