After 3 shaky Summer League games, Bronny James finally managed to hit the gas pedal in his last two against the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 19-year-old scored 12 points against Atlanta on a 5-11 clip, sinking 2 shots from beyond the arc. He also showcased his defensive prowess against Cleveland by clinching over 5 rebounds and scoring 13 points. Even though Bronny is not yet able to fully live up to the ‘LeBron James‘ son’ potential, as publicly deemed, the former Trojan is playing well as the 55th pick.
“He had two pretty good games last two. 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,” Lakers‘ Summer League coach Dane Johnson said. He believes Bronny can improve, but it will take some time for the young rookie to significantly impact the league. Additionally, the coach seems undecided about the position Bronny will shape into, keeping the doors open for him to become a multi-utility player.
“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.” Even though Bronny could display his athleticism and glimpses of his scoring prowess in the Summer League games, he still has to work on his passing, playmaking, and most importantly develop some sort of consistency to round out his game.
Although Bronny is taking his 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 steps into the NBA, his journey has been completely different compared to the other young guns that are trying to get into the league. Sure enough, being one of the best player’s sons in the NBA has a lot of benefits. Phoenix Suns star, Devin Booker, kind of pointed this out indirectly while reminiscing about his 2015 draft process with D’Angelo Russel.
Remember when D’Lo was drafted as the No. 2 pick by the Lakers back in 2015? The reason was Russel’s dominant performance at Ohio State, which made him a top prospect, followed by a good workout. Not in LA though. “Do you even know what a draft process looks like?” Booker asked D’Lo. On the other hand, Bronny received the same kind of treatment, but he was nowhere close to being a top prospect.
“When you top three, you do two workouts and decline all the other ones,” Booker said, with everyone on the Backyard pod breaking into laughter mid-sentence. Did you know Bronny got over 10 workout invitations from multiple teams and he reportedly declined all but two–the Lakers and, ironically, the Suns? Most prospects would never deny an NBA draft workout opportunity because that can hurt their chances of getting into the world’s best league, but King James’ son did not have a problem in making the choice.
Do we know why? Well. We won’t ever try to ‘assume’ any process. The main point is that Bronny is a part of JJ Redick’s Lakers now. For the youngster to remain in the league, he has to perform, and his future contracts and rotations in the LA side will solely depend on what he brings to the table. Can the former Trojan take his game to the next level and prove his haters wrong? Let’s dive deeper.
