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CHARLES Barkley has called out the Los Angeles Lakers for their current plan with rookie guard Bronny James.
The NBA legend, 61, shared his opinion on the Lakers’ handling of LeBron James’ son’s development in the league.
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Bronny has played home games for the G-League affiliate South Bay Lakers and has played on the Lakers’ NBA team when the South Bay squad hits the road.
Barkley appeared on The Bettor Angle show on the BetQL Network and criticized the Lakers’ tasking the 20-year-old to split time between home G-League games and the NBA roster.
“Awful,” Barkley said in response to the Lakers’ handling of Bronny.
“I thought it was great, a little ceremony his first game. But the kid is not ready to play in the NBA. He should be in the G-League so he can play basketball. …
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“And also, this thing where he’s only gonna play home games. It’s stupid, it’s not fair to him,” he continued.
“It’s not fair to the team. Can you imagine the coach of that team? You come off a road trip and you have a player you haven’t seen in a week or two. And then you probably feel like you gotta play him.
Barkley also took issue with LeBron’s role in his son’s development situation, saying “it’s a bad look for him (too) in my opinion.”
Bronny appeared in the Lakers’ home opener and was alongside his father during the game.
They became the first NBA father-son duo in league history.
And Bronny scored his first NBA points against the Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron’s first NBA team.
However, the 2024 second-round pick hasn’t impressed in either the NBA or the G-League.
Bronny has averaged just 0.7 points per game on 16.7 percent shooting in the professional league while posting just 5.0 points and 3.0 assists in 28.5 minutes across two G-League appearances.
After two G-League games, the Lakers revealed Bronny was sidelined with a left heel contusion for the team’s Saturday night game against the Denver Nuggets.
He then did not play in Sunday’s G-League contest against the Stockton Kings.
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Until Bronny returns to the court and improves, the Lakers will continue to be scrutinized over their decision with the youngster.
Still, the Lakers are having a solid NBA campaign, posting a 10-6 record.
They are fourth in the Western Conference as LeBron has a career-best 42.2 percent from three-point range so far.
The Lakers have also received stellar play recently from first-round pick Dalton Knecht, who’s scored 14 points or more in five of the last six games.
LeBron and the Lakers will go on the road to face the Phoenix Suns in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday.
