Bronny James had another forgettable game on Tuesday, logging 15 minutes in the Lakers’ loss to the Sixers. He went 0-for-5 from the field and, once again, didn’t put up a single point. His season numbers? A brutal 1-for-16 across 44 minutes. Having LeBron James as your father means every move gets dissected, and Bronny’s struggles made him an easy topic on First Take. Stephen A. Smith didn’t sugarcoat anything.

“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this,” Smith said. “Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.” If that wasn’t bad enough, Tyrese Maxey put on a show, making Bronny look every bit like an overmatched rookie. He’s flashed some promise in the G League, but the NBA has been a completely different challenge.

Right now, he’s struggling to find his rhythm, and Smith is clearly done pretending otherwise. After the show people from LeBron’s close circle texted SAS over his remarks and he had to clarify himself on his podcast. “Come on, y’all. I mean, it’s got to a point where this LeBron sensitivity is just beyond the pale.” Smith said on his show.

While he acknowledges Bronny’s potential, Smith firmly believes the Lakers rookie just isn’t ready for this level of competition. And he’s pointing the finger at LeBron James rather than Bronny himself. Smith had no issue with Bronny suiting up alongside his father for the Lakers’ season opener, calling it a “phenomenal moment.” But beyond that? He thinks Bronny should have spent the season developing elsewhere. “That should have been the only moment we saw Bronny James in the Lakers uniform this season, because he’s not ready,” Smith said on the The Stephen A Smith Show.

Through 13 NBA games, Bronny is averaging just 0.3 points, 0.3 assists, and 0.4 rebounds. His shooting has been abysmal—1-for-16 from the field and 0-for-7 from deep. Despite that, he’s still seeing early-game minutes. That’s where Smith draws the line. “Really? And everybody wants to look at it and say LeBron has nothing to do with that?”

Smith doesn’t blame Bronny, instead questioning why LeBron, one of the greatest minds in basketball, would allow this to happen. “LeBron has forgotten more basketball than most people would know,” he said.

For Smith, watching Bronny struggle isn’t about being harsh—it’s about protecting him. “I’m not being cruel. I’m simply saying, yo, he’s not ready yet,” he explained. “To put him out there, getting him exposed to that, it’s really hard to watch.” It’s the same reason why SAS didn’t watch Bronny play before he played in the NBA and G League. He didn’t to comment on Bronny because he’s LeBron James’ son and it would put undue pressure on him.

But his performance against the 76ers also had JJ Redick being blunt about him. However one ex NBA player feels something else was up.

JJ Redick speaks harsh truth about Bronny James, but a former Celtics’ player feels LeBron’s influence

JJ Redick made a surprising call on Tuesday, giving Bronny James significant minutes against the Sixers on the second night of a back-to-back. The rookie was out there for over 15 minutes, but it wasn’t pretty—0-for-5 from the field and a minus-8. His extended run stood out, especially considering how things played out.

After the game, Redick admitted he might’ve put Bronny in a tough spot. “Flying up yesterday, and nationally televised game in Philly and all that stuff. You know, he didn’t play well, but he’s been playing great in the stay-ready games, and he’s been playing great in the G (League). I have confidence in him,” he explained.

But Celtics analyst, a former Celtics’ player himself Brian Scalabrine saw something else at play. He pointed out that LeBron—who usually skips back-to-backs—was also on the court. “I couldn’t help thinking, I wonder if they convinced LeBron to play by saying, we’ll play Bronny and you guys can play together,” Scalabrine said.

It was a weird situation. The Lakers, already missing Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, lost Anthony Davis mid-game to an ankle injury. The 118-104 loss wasn’t shocking, but the lineup decisions raised eyebrows. “It didn’t make sense why he (LeBron) was out there,” Scalabrine added. Was this about development, or was something else in play?