The Los Angeles Lakers decided to take a chance on Bronny James with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, even though they knew they’d get backlash for what has been perceived as some extreme nepotism, considering he’s LeBron James’ son.
Despite the criticism and backlash the Lakers have received for making this controversial decision, the team is still confident Bronny James will eventually be an asset and make an impact on the squad while playing alongside his father and Anthony Davis.
Yet, even though Bronny James is expected to play most, if not all, of the upcoming season in the G League, many people are making bets on him winning NBA Rookie of the Year, which would be a long shot at this point.
According to ESPN BET, Bronny James is the most bet-on player to win Rookie of the Year, garnering 23.1 percent of all bets being made on the award.
Bronny for ROTY has a lot of backers 👀👑 pic.twitter.com/2mWj4BiU9y
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBet) July 18, 2024
The only way Bronny James has a legitimate shot at winning the award for the 2024-25 campaign is that he gets substantial playing time with the Lakers and is highly productive during that time on the floor.
At this point, especially with his poor performance in the NBA Summer League so far, the only way he’ll get that time is if he’s forced into the lineup due to an injury to a key player like D’Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves.
Even then, there’s no guarantee he’ll do enough with that time to make an impact that would put him in the running.
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