Bronny James, the well-known 55th overall choice of the Los Angeles Lakers, has been one of the summer’s greatest talking topics, teaming up with his father, LeBron James. With that in mind, it was clear that he’d be scrutinized more closely during Summer League than most second-round picks are.
Despite struggling in his first two games in Las Vegas, scoring 10 points and one assist on 4-of-19 shooting, he showed significant improvement in his final two games, posting 25 points and three assists on 10-of-21 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three. Following these two great games, the Lakers chose to rest him for their last Summer League game against the Chicago Bulls and focus on what he has to work on before the summer layoff.
“He had two decent games in the last two… “I believe it will just help him going into the summer so we can work on different things with him,” Lakers summer league coach Dane Johnson said.
In these final two games, James demonstrated what made him such an intriguing prospect during his time at Sierra Canyon. During his senior year, he was regarded as a potential first-round draft pick because of his dribbling, passing, and shooting abilities, as well as his superb point-of-attack defense.
He was a superb shooter who could attack closeouts and make judgments, as well as a great perimeter defender, indicating his potential as a two-way connecting player. He also showed promise as an ancillary pick-and-roll operator, thanks to his fluid midrange pull-up and passing abilities. Despite standing only 6-foot-2, he has a 6-foot-7 wingspan and a 40.5-inch vertical leap.
He demonstrated all of this in his final two Summer League games, against the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a point guard, he executed pick-and-rolls and hit multiple pullup two-pointers, demonstrating his touch. On one possession, he transitioned into a dribble handoff (basically a moving pick-and-roll), attacked downhill, and finished with a left-handed scoop layup, showcasing his touch.
Off the ball, he hit 37.5% on three-pointers and attacked closeouts, finishing with layups and floaters. He was also an active mover, cutting and finishing at the rim.
On defense, he blocked two shots and had a steal.
One area where he needs to improve before playing extended NBA minutes is his physicality, particularly on drives. James frequently avoided contact when attacking the basket, both by bumping his defender on drives and finishing into the body of rim protectors. As a result, his layup attempts faded away from the hoop, making rim shots more difficult. Gaining muscle and increased physicality would result in rapid improvements for James as a finisher.
James’ development path was pushed back due to an unexpected cardiac attack that occurred prior to his season at USC. Despite this, he remains a promising prospect with NBA-level talents and tools, including length and athleticism to match his exceptional touch and processing abilities. As a second-round choice, he is unlikely to become an NBA player for a long time. With time in the G League and a concentration on developing his talents as a role player, James has a promising future as a rotation-level NBA player, which would benefit both himself and the Lakers.
