[Saba Sports News] The NBA preseason is in full flow, with teams showing up to test the results of the offseason, with some happy and some sad. The Thunder’s Caruso and Harten, the SUNS ‘Jones, the Kings’ derozan, the Warriors’ Hider, the Spurs’ Paul, the Knicks’ Towns and other new players have done well to improve the strength of the team; And the Hawks’ No. 1 draft pick Lissacay, the Rockets’ draft pick Shepard, the Spurs’ No. 4 draft pick Castle, the Grizzlies’ No. 9 draft pick Eddie and the Thunder’s No. 26 draft pick Jones and other newcomers are shining, and the future is promising.
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But the Los Angeles Lakers had a rocky offseason, with their biggest moves aside from near-max contract renewals of LeBron James in Bronny James and Max Christie. However, the lack of potential has been exposed by the two’s performances in the preseason.
The Lakers selected Browne with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft, and despite being James’s oldest son, he has a less-than-stellar resume. Browne suffered cardiac arrest and played just 25 games in his freshman season, averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 37, 27 and 68 percent, respectively. It was even more surprising that his varsity captain, Ellis, who averaged 15.4 points per game, dropped out. It’s understandable that the Lakers drafted Browne to create a historic father-son scene, but the bigger controversy is that the Lakers also gave Browne a four-year, $7.9 million contract, making him the most expensive No. 55 draft pick in NBA history.
Browne has attracted a lot of attention through the aura of lebron James, but his preseason performance can be described as a disaster. In the game with the Timberwolves, Brownie played 16 minutes, 1 of 6 shooting, only 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, also sent 3 blocks; Against the SUNS, he combined with James for the first time, going 0 for 1 with two rebounds and four turnovers in 13 minutes off the bench; In THE game against the Bucks, he came off the bench in six minutes and went 0 for 4. Through three preseason games, Browne is 1 of 11 from the field, shooting 9.1 percent, 0 and 0, respectively, with a minus-40 plus/minus rating, the lowest in the league.
He couldn’t handle the ball on the court, couldn’t shoot from point to point, couldn’t even figure out where to run, and was totally incapable of playing in the NBA. Such a father and son on the same stage, it is really disappointing.