Bronny James has had no relief ever since the LA Lakers drafted him into the league. The initial criticism came based on allegations of nepotism. And now his subpar performance at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has only added insult to injury. However, as the fans continue to bash the 19-year-old for his performance, former NBA stars Gilbert Arenas and Rashad McCants have shown some sympathy towards the Lakers rookie.

Appearing on the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, the ex-Wizards star questioned if the problem is with the fact that Bronny is playing the way a second-round pick or a rookie is expected to play, “Or the problem is the media trying to make this seem like he’s LeBron James,” Arenas noted. To further his point, Agent Zero also threw in his rookie run. “I didn’t get 26 shots up in my whole summer league experience as a rookie,” Arenas added.

Meanwhile, Rashad McCants also defended the Lakers rookie against the burden of expectations at this initial stage. “Is it an unfair expectation? Yes, it’s an unfair expectation. But is it an expectation? For sure,” he said on the podcast. Notably, Bronny has not had much of an impressive run so far at the summer league. Having played 3 out of 4 Games with the Lakers, he has averaged 5 points, and 4 rebounds per game.

The 19-year-old displayed defensive capability in some sense against the Miami Heat with 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. But his offense has been questionable as he has not hit even the double digit scoring mark in any of the games. Speaking of his recent performance, Bronny himself said he is “in a little slump right now.”

And Gil may have somewhat defended James against the unrealistic expectations. But he has set his own bar of expectations quite low for Bronny’s debut season.

“Go Daddy Go!”: Arenas predicts Bronny James’ future in the first season with the Lakers

The 4x All Star does not believe Bronny will have much of a role with the team in his rookie season. In fact, in a recent episode of his podcast, Gil somewhat mocked the 19-year-old as he believes Bronny will mostly be cheering for his father in the upcoming season.

“Go Daddy Go! … Okay, what you need? Some towels, here is some water. Sit there, talk to the coach,” Gil said. He further stated as a second-round pick, nothing more should be expected from him than “to learn, understand, be cheerful, but he is going to be that, anyway.” However, speculations are that Bronny may as well spend some time in the G-League, polishing his skills.

And the Lakers rookie is looking forward to that scenario if it comes. “I’m just looking forward to any basketball I play—no matter what level I’m playing at,” he said during media interaction. Notably, this could even be an opportunity for him to prove his worth and use the experience in his favor. Something that players like Avery Bradley have used to fuel their motivation for the big stage.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.