Surprisingly, Bronny James garnered the most attention this summer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Seeing his strong play in San Francisco and Las Vegas, James looked extremely confident, which wasn’t the case a year ago in his first Summer League after being drafted in the second round.
Small guards like James typically have difficulty staying on the floor consistently in the NBA. However, his perimeter defense and athleticism are what made him special and Bronny is looking to solidify his standing in the NBA after showing significant improvements.
To be a mainstay in L.A. and get an opportunity, the 20-year-old needs to build muscle to withstand the physical NBA play-style. And it appears he has done exactly that as since getting drafted in 2024, the former USC Trojan revealed that he has added significant muscle to his frame, via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
By the eye test, James looked to have added some significant muscle to his 20-year-old frame, which he confirmed.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Definitely using my body more (than in high school, at USC and) when I was first drafted. I wasn’t using my body as well, but the physicality in the NBA is at a way higher level, so I had to get my body right.”
This is a great sign as Bronny is truly committed to basketball and making a name for himself. Unfortunately, the spotlight will only continue to grow due to who his father is, in addition to having unrealistic expectations placed on him.
But the Lakers see value in James and allowed him to initiate offense as a lead guard during Summer League. A notable criticism of Bronny was that he did not possess the skills to be a true point guard despite his size.
As L.A. continues his development, molding him to a point guard is probably the best trajectory so he is comfortable with the ball in his hands. However, it would not hurt to learn how to thrive off-ball and turn into a league-average 3-point shooter as well.
Regardless, if Bronny continues on his current trajectory, he could eventually be a rotation player for the Lakers, which would be a great testament to his hard work as a late second-round pick.
Bronny James feels game is slowing down for him
Whenever a college player takes that next step to the NBA, a common adjustment for them is the pace of play. The NBA is notorious for having a fast pace and rookies tend to struggle adjusting to that.
When Bronny James saw time with the Lakers, it was clear that he needed to figure that aspect of the game out. But he thinks things are slowing down for him as he prepares for his sophomore season.
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