Summer League was an eye-opening experience for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, seeing what it is like playing in the NBA and all the media attention that comes with it for him. While there is no need to have lofty expectations for a 55th overall pick, they will be there regardless if James is in the G League or not due to his father LeBron.
Not even a year removed from a health scare and not playing much in his lone season at USC, there remains a lot of room for growth for Bronny. But after struggling to score to begin the summer, many narratives were already being made against James.
However, the 19-year-old silenced those critics by putting together back-to-back solid scoring performances with 12 points on 5-for-11 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3-point range against the Atlanta Hawks then 13 points, five rebounds and three assists on 5-for-10 from the field and 1-for-3 from distance against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Those were the final two games Bronny played before sitting out the finale.
Summer League head coach Dane Johnson believes James can build upon those two performances as he prepares for his rookie season, via Mark Anderson of the Associated Press:
“He had two pretty good games last two,” Lakers Summer League coach Dane Johnson said. “I think it’s just going to help him going into the summer so we can work on different things with him. Just that confidence and knowing he can play at this level. It’s still going to take a lot of time and a lot of reps.”
Another interesting wrinkle is what position James will be utilized at. While being listed as a point guard, he is not someone who is known for organizing and orchestrating an offense. Johnson thinks that the former USC Trojan is a shooting guard currently but could ultimately become a combo guard:
“I think right now he’s more of a (shooting guard), but I think he could be a combo-ish,” Johnson said. “He picks up stuff really well. We throw stuff at him — plays, coverages, defensively. He kind of picks it up really quick, so I think he could potentially be (a point guard). Maybe we’ll work on that in the summer, but I think right now being that secondary playmaker is kind of where he’s at right now.”
Nonetheless, this process is going to have to be a patient one for James as he is at least a couple of years away from being a viable role player. Regardless, it is good for him to put together two consecutive to build off of for the rest of the summer.
Bronny James ranks his favorite NBA players of all-time
With Bronny James preparing for his rookie season with the Lakers, he could end up guarding some of the best guards in the league. Before that time comes, he ranked his favorite NBA players of all-time, some of which he could compete against in his career.
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