Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James started the summer off slowly as he missed the first game of the California Classic before being thrust into game action.
Due to his heart condition and an illness, James’ minutes were limited to begin Summer League festivities but he was able to successfully ramp up each game. In the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League, Bronny began to show what he could really with his conditioning and minutes back up to close-to-normal levels.
James showed much more confidence as a scorer, driving to the rim for crafty finishes and even showing off an improved jump shot. The Lakers decided to test Bronny further by giving him more on-ball reps, though the results were mixed as he struggled with turnovers.
After his Summer League experience, James revealed he is working on improving his on-ball skills and allowing the off-ball portions to naturally follow suit, via Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
“Keeping working on my game on ball, all the stuff off ball will just flow,” he said. “But if I’m consistently confident in bringing the ball up, knowing my role and being able to play the 1 when it’s needed, I think I’ll be good. Because I don’t really have any problem playing off the ball if I need to. So just getting those reps over and over again of me having the ball in my hand most of the time is really good for my development.”
Bronny is an undersized combo guard who is best used off the ball as a secondary playmaker and slasher, so it makes sense why he and the Lakers are focused on getting him on-ball reps against live competition. James took off in the second half of the season with the South Bay Lakers doing more on the ball, so there’s optimism that he’ll eventually develop into a serviceable lead guard at some point.
After Los Angeles’ busy offseason, it’ll be head for Bronny to crack head coach JJ Redick’s rotation though assistant coach Nate McMillan expects him to get minutes. It remains to be seen if that actually happens, but James has no doubt proven that he’s worthy of a roster spot.
Bronny James reveals highlight of rookie season
Bronny James didn’t get many opportunities to play real minutes for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season, though he did finally get a chance to shine in March against the Milwaukee Bucks. With Los Angeles shorthanded, James got extended minutes and put up 17 points, three rebounds and five assists.
When reflecting on his rookie year, James named his performance against Milwaukee as his highlight.
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