"Getting harder and harder to watch": Skip Bayless casts serious doubts on Bronny James' NBA readiness amid struggling Summer League outing
"Undisputed" host Skip Bayless raised serious doubts about Bronny James' NBA outlook. The LA Lakers' 55th overall pick of the draft and son of the legendary LeBron James played poorly in another summer league outing on Monday.
The typically outspoken media figure has given Bronny the benefit of the doubt so far but said he's losing faith in the young player.
"I have gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as 'How good can he be, how quickly?' to 'Can he play?'" Bayless said on Tuesday.
Bayless thinks Knecht, a ball-dominant player, is better suited for summer league games than Bronny James, who seems more of a catch-and-shoot guard.
"It's tearing me apart watching his games. They're getting harder and harder to watch. Because I am pulling for him, I still believe he's made of the right stuff," Bayless said. "I'm clinging, maybe clinging desparately, to the notion that if you put him with better players he'll look better."
"Dalton Knecht is made for the summer league because it's just green light, no conscience, just jack it up," he continued. "It's attack mode for everybody on the floor because everyone is trying to make a statement in a brief amount of time. You're playing for your life. You gotta show out. And Dalton Knecht is not afraid to shoot it."
Bronny's lack of aggressiveness could be an issue.
"I'm just looking for more flashes ... the most troubling thing of all ... I've watched four full games now, and he's shot a total of six free throws," Bayless said. "That's what troubling to me, because there is no attack mode to him at all. He goes and stands in the corner."
Even the defensive prowess, which was said to be Bronny James' calling card, hasn't materialized the way Bayless expected.
"I see flashes on defense ... but I don't see lockdown, I don't see defensive demon," he said.
Bronny James scored just two points on Monday, shooting 1-for-5 and failing to hit his first 3-pointer of the season. The 6-foot-1 guard also committed two turnovers in an 88-74 loss to the Boston Celtics.
He's averaging 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 turnovers in the summer league games in Las Vegas. Including his two games in the California Classic, he's averaging 4.2 points (7-for-31, including 0-for-17 from 3-point range) and 3.7 rebounds.
Skip Bayless reportedly leaving FS1, "Undisputed" this summer
According to an exclusive report by the New York Post, the notorious sports media figure will not continue his run with FS1 past this summer.
Skip Bayless lost former co-host Shannon Sharpe last summer and has since continued the show with a rotating panel of guests.
Bayless became one of the top figures in sports entertainment while hosting "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN until 2016. He reportedly last signed a four-year deal with FS1 worth $32 million.