This summer is important for Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James as he looks to display natural growth in Summer League heading into his second season.
After being drafted at No. 55 in the second round last year, the media attention was off the charts surrounding James, both positive and negative. To his credit, the former USC Trojan focused on basketball at the end of day, working hard to improve his game.
Bronny’s best trait as a player is perimeter defense, which he has to rely on as a smaller guard. Heading into Summer League, James acknowledged that keeping his defensive drive is what will make him successful and earn playing time heading into Year 2, via Lakers reporter Jovan Buha:
“It’s definitely made me think about being more aggressive on that end of the floor, but I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor because there’s gonna be guys that can score 15, 20 a game. I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now. To get myself on the floor, I’ve got to be a defensive menace. That’s my main focus, getting conditioned this year. It’s been shown that I know how to score the ball a little bit, I’m staying true to that, but also focusing on the defensive end.”
As the son of LeBron James, unrealistic expectations came with the territory for Bronny considering his father is an all-time great. But, this is great self-awareness from Bronny because becoming a valuable NBA player often involves embracing a role.
On a championship team, each player knows what to do on the floor. Head coach JJ Redick will expect James to provide that energy on the defensive end, and given the current state of the roster, that may be needed at times.
Now, it remains to be seen whether the second-year guard will earn a spot in the rotation from the jump. As more moves are expected to finalize the roster, making a statement in Summer League and preseason is of the most importance for Bronny if he does want to find his way onto the court.
Bronny James thinks Lakers will be better than last season
To the Lakers’ credit, they stashed Bronny James in the G League to let him grow and develop through on-court reps during his rookie season. As time passed, James clearly looked comfortable on both ends, but transferring that to an NBA game is the next step.
When he was with the Lakers, Bronny got the chance to watch LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves thrive. While Bronny is more focused on defense, he saw what it takes to be a lead guard in the NBA.
L.A.’s new tandem displayed signs of greatness but also clearly needs time to build chemistry. Seeing how the Lakers’ season ended, Bronny thinks the team will be better next year and compete for a championship.
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