The Los Angeles Lakers chose Bronny James with their second-round pick in the most recent NBA Draft. The NBA community didn’t hesitate to show their skepticism on the Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny, especially when the team’s chances of getting a superstar-caliber player were getting slim.
Furthermore, the Lakers didn’t make any blockbuster roster trades during the offseason. Instead, they replaced coach Darvin Ham with JJ Redick, hoping that the veteran guard can bring about significant changes in the team.
After reaching the Western Conference Finals two years ago, the Lakers have since struggled to recapture the success they had. Despite winning the inaugural NBA Cup last season, they were eliminated early from the playoffs due to being unable to maintain their consistency.
For DeMarcus Cousins, the Lakers made a mistake deciding to choose Bronny James over trying to build a championship-caliber roster. The former Laker thinks the team didn’t do enough. Guesting on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” this week, Cousins talked to Michelle Beadle, sharing his thoughts on the Lakers’ offseason and their decision to draft Bronny.
“I think it’s really, really dope, but as far as the Lakers actually competing, I don’t know. I take that as a sign as they aren’t really serious. With the way their season ended last year with the high expectations, I expected more from them as far as making moves….”
“I don’t really think the Lakers are serious anymore.” – @boogiecousins #DeMarcusCousins thinks the #Lakers pairing #LeBron with #BronnyJames shows they aren’t serious about winning anymore 😱🤔
WE’RE LIVE RIGHT NOW: https://t.co/1ZUVUwg6po#RunItBack #NBA #FanDuel pic.twitter.com/EMzR3TSocE
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 15, 2024
While he is an ex-Laker, DeMarcus Cousins was never really able to play for the team after tearing his left ACL in an offseason pickup game in August of 2019. He signed a contract with the purple-and-gold for the 2019-20 season, but was waived on February 23, 2020. The Lakers won the NBA championship that year, and Cousins, despite not playing any game with the team, was also presented a championship ring.
DeMarcus Cousins praises Dalton Knecht over fellow rookie Bronny James
Before picking Bronny James, the Los Angeles Lakers used their first-round pick to select Dalton Knecht, who now seems poised to be a scoring weapon for the team this season.
Knecht, like Bronny James, will go through a developmental and adjustment period, but he is expected to be a role player for the Lakers this season, while LeBron James’ son will receive infrequent minutes as he develops behind the scenes and in the G League.
Continuing his conversation with Michelle Beadle on the “Run It Back” show, DeMarcus Cousins praised Knecht, who played a season with the Tennessee Volunteers before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft.
“I do like the kid from Tennessee that they drafted. I think he could be an instant impact player for them. But they had a lot of concerns last year that I don’t think really were addressed, and I didn’t really see those moves being made in the offseason as well. So it’s TBD in my opinion.”
Through three preseason games, Knecht has averaged 26.7 minutes per game, while Bronny James played much less with just 11.9 average minutes per game. Once the regular season starts, however, it is expected that both rookies will spend less time on the court. Then again, one has to wonder when LeBron and Bronny will see on-court action together and how many minutes they will play together per game.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at papadanph@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
