Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jaylen Brown backtracks apparent criticism of Bronny James

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Jul 16, 2024 9:48 AM ET

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown hasn't exactly denied or taken back his apparent criticism of Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James, but he addressed the matter on social media on Tuesday morning.

Sitting courtside with Angel Reese and Kysre Gondrezick of the Chicago Sky on Monday night during the Celtics-Lakers Summer League game, cameras caught Brown saying (according to lip-readers) that Bronny wasn't good enough to be a professional basketball player.

It’s a flex to have your son alongside you in the nba it reflects greatness and longevity !Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful I look forward to watching his growth https://t.co/qO4muFSvrn
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 16, 2024

While the 19-year-old son of four-time MVP LeBron James recently had success in winning the Call of Duty Modern Warfare III tournament at the NBA Summer League, his on-court performances have been underwhelming.

Bronny is averaging just 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting a rough 7-for-31 from the field, including 0-for-15 from three-point land. Bronny finished Tuesday's loss against Boston with two points, three rebounds and one assist on 1-for-5 shooting.

Among his four misses were two air-balled three-point attempts.

It's been a brutal start to his first Summer League, but as Brown said, the USC product has "tools around him" to turn things around.

Aside from first-year head coach JJ Redick (one of the better deep shooters of the 21st century), veterans like Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie should have a positive impact on the youngster. Up-and-coming shooting guard Austin Reaves should also be a solid influence for Bronny and of course, he has his father with him every step of the way.

The 55th overall pick has three more chances to better his Summer League performance, starting with Wednesday's contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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