"They aren't really serious" - DeMarcus Cousins rips Lakers for drafting Bronny James, pointing to lack of roster strengthening
This summer, the LA Lakers selected Bronny James with their second-round pick in the NBA Draft. While the chances of a team getting a superstar-caliber player like Nikola Jokic late in the draft are incredibly slim, the team's decision to draft Bronny was met with skepticism from the NBA community.
The way NBA veteran DeMarcus Cousins sees things, the Lakers made a mistake by drafting Bronny James rather than working to bolster their roster for a championship run. After making it to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, the team struggled to replicate the same level of success last year.
Instead, despite winning the inaugural NBA Cup, the Lakers struggled to find consistency late in the season, resulting in a first-round elimination from the playoffs.
During the offseason, the team refrained from making any blockbuster moves, instead bringing in JJ Redick to replace Darvin Ham in hopes that the veteran guard could be the catalyst the team needs.
The way Cousins sees things, the Lakers didn't do enough. During an appearance on FanDuel TV this week, he weighed in on their offseason and the team's decision to draft Bronny while speaking with Michelle Beadle:
"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…."
"Instant impact player," DeMarcus Cousins weighs in on Dalton Knecht ahead of rookie season alongside Bronny James
Prior to drafting Bronny James, the Lakers notably used their first-round pick on offensive-minded forward Dalton Knecht, who is poised to be a shooting threat for LA this season.
While Knecht will go through an adjustment period and developmental phase just like James, the expectation is that he will be a role player for the Lakers this season, whereas Bronny will receive infrequent minutes while developing behind the scenes, and in the G League.
While speaking on FanDuel's "Run It Back" with Michelle Beadle, Cousins praised Knecht, who spent a year playing at Tennessee before declaring for the 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 with the Lakers, Knecht has averaged 26.7 minutes per game, whereas Bronny James has averaged just 11.9 minutes per game.
Once the regular season starts, both players will be spending less time on the court.