Bronny James has had no chance to catch a break from all the criticism ever since his NBA debut. While initially, it was about nepotism being a factor in his selection in the league, the most recent backlash comes because of the 19-year-old’s performance at the summer league. Notably, Bronny scored 4 points, and 2 assists in his debut game against Sacramento Kings. But former NBA star Gilbert Arenas does not believe this to be an issue, especially considering Victor Wembanyama‘s debut game.

This came during a recent episode of Gil’s Arena. The ex-NBA star highlighted how Bronny is facing the pressure of a no. 1 pick, despite being 55. “People are reacting to his 4 points as if his spot 55 shouldn’t have been 4 points. Most of them don’t even get in the game,” he added. Further in the conversation, Gil recalled Wembanyama’s performance in his debut game at the summer league.

“No. 1 Pick, 5 Points,” he said of Wemby’s performance in his debut game. Although he meant no comparison between Bronny and Victor, he highlighted the point to which Wemby has now reached. Averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks in his last season, Wembanyama claimed Rookie of the Year to his name. Apart from this, he also landed on the All-Defensive 1st Team, coming second in the race to the Defensive Player of the Year award.

However, Wemby’s debut game at the summer league was not as promising. But it was not exactly what Gilbert Arenas described it, either. Victor did not score 5 but 9 points in the game, compensated by 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 blocks. But Gil is not completely wrong in hoping for Bronny’s improvement with time.

Bronny James missed the required opportunity to grow his talent at USC

Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest soon after entering USC during a practice session in July last year. He made a comeback only after 5 months of the incident. But the practice time he lost during this reflected in his subpar performances with the Trojans.

He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists through the 25 games he played, but he still declared for the 2024 NBA draft. This was the reason that some in the basketball community believed this to be a rushed move. However, the 19-year-old still got drafted and stated he would use this as an opportunity that he missed at USC.

“I feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at USC,” he told the media. Though Gilbert Arenas has not defended Bronny’s selection, he believes now that he is in the league, he should be given some time. And even LeBron James does not care much for the recent Summer League. He wants his son to use this experience as an opportunity to familiarize himself with the pace and physicality of the game.

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.