On June 27, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The decision was widely criticized at the time, with many suggesting that LeBron James’ presence is the only reason his son is in the NBA today.
Yet, having Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, practically threaten teams not to draft his client likely didn’t help boost LeBron’s eldest son’s draft stock. Neither did refusing to work out for teams other than the Phoenix Suns and Lakers.
Bronny James’ defense is still far ahead of his defense, and that’s okay
Shortly after Bronny was drafted, he headed to the California Classic Summer League to begin his NBA career. In his Summer League debut, Bronny shot 2-of-9 from the field, finishing with four points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 22 minutes.
He missed the next game, the second half of a back-to-back due to trace swelling in his left knee. This only gave Bronny more rest before ramping up activity for his second Summer League appearance on Wednesday.
In his second game, Bronny was a bit better all-around but still fell flat as a scorer. He took fewer shots, going 1-of-3 from the field for three points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks.
The point totals shouldn’t come as a big surprise, considering he averaged just 4.8 PPG in his lone college season at USC, where he played 19.3 minutes per game. Yet, seeing Bronny fill out the stat sheet on defense should be expected for a prospect many NBA analysts felt was much more prepared to defend than he is to contribute as a scorer early on.
Remember, Bronny is just 19 years old. What we see today, especially in Summer League, is far from where he’ll be as a finished product. Yet, seeing the 6-foot-2 make an impact on defense is already a strong sign of future growth. Even if Bronny never becomes a standout scorer, his impressive defensive effort should earn him a role.
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