Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has been the most talked-about incoming first-year NBA player, and some of the talk surrounding him has been negative.
While he appears to have some potential as a legitimate prospect, plenty have claimed the only reason the Lakers took him with the No. 55 pick in June’s draft is because of the influence of his father, LeBron James. In other words, people have been accusing the elder James’ camp of nepotism.
A couple of days ago, an unnamed member of the Lakers’ summer league team said some very unflattering things about the atmosphere surrounding the younger James. That player claimed the younger James received preferential treatment and that it had a detrimental effect on others. While none of it was personal, it could cast the 19-year-old guard in a negative light.
Blake Hinson, an undrafted guard on L.A.’s summer league squad, looked to refute the claims made by the other player.
Via Lakers Nation:
“No. Where is that at? Honestly, you know how it is. Stuff like that doesn’t really shock me,” Hinson said in an interview with Trevor Lane and Matthew Peralta of Lakers Nation. “But we need to figure out if that’s even true because to be totally honest with you, as far as his treatment, he was just a normal guy.
“He just played basketball, he really stays out of the way. He’s a cool dude. I don’t really understand how something like that came out. So that’s nonsense to me.”
One positive thing that has been reported about the younger James is his attitude and humility, something Hinson vouched for.
“Cool dude off the court, cool dude on the court. I don’t really understand that nonsense that you just informed me about. That’s not accurate, it shouldn’t be accurate,” Hinson added.
The University of Southern California product struggled in his first several summer league games, and at one point, he missed each of his first 15 3-point attempts. But he shot a very respectable percentage in his last two games, especially from the perimeter, which raised hopes that he can make something of himself when the real games start.