Bronny James made his professional debut for the Lakers this afternoon. The Lakers Summer League squad took on the Sacramento Kings Summer League team at Chase Center to kick off the 6th annual California Classic. All eyes were on Bronny as fans were eager to see the Laker’s 55th pick in this year’s NBA draft in his first action with the purple and gold.
Even though most of the people inside were Warriors fans waiting for the 2nd game, you could tell they were pulling for James to do well as the arena cheered every time he got the ball. His ovation in starting lineups was by far louder than anyone else. There’s a lot of pressure on him because his dad, Lebron James, is an all-time NBA great. I thought he looked comfortable out there for his first game. There is still a long way to go if he wants to contribute to an NBA roster.
Takeaways From Bronny James’s First Game
One of my biggest takeaways from Bronny James’ first game as a Laker was his high basketball IQ. It’s impressive because he is 19 years old and only saw limited action for USC last season. On defense, he was in the right spot on pretty much every possession. He jumped a few passes, one of which resulted in a steal, and got his hands on a few others. His one-on-one defense was solid, along with the help side.
Offensively, he didn’t ever make the wrong play. He took good shots and made the right passes. However, in most possessions, he was just standing in the corner or running on the baseline. He had a very limited amount of touches, and when he did, it would be up for a quick shot or pass every time. There would be a series of 6 or 7 possessions in a row where you would forget he was on the court. He was not a factor on the offensive side of the ball at all. It looked eerily similar to when I saw him at USC last year.
There were no plays by James in this game that would make you scratch your head. I was just looking to see him handle the ball a little more and be a threat. Bronny James finished with 4 points, two assists, two rebounds, and one steal on 2/9 shooting in his 22 minutes of action. It’s only one game, so we shouldn’t freak out about a bad shooting game. We will see how he progresses as this summer league moves on. There’s a lot of work to do.
What to Expect In The Next Summer League Games
Bronny James will probably see improvement with every game he plays. It might not be much, but hopefully, the time spent during the summer will give him a boost. It wasn’t the best game for him, but he could have done much worse. Perhaps all he needs is a few more games to get locked in.
James will need to show improvement if he wants to cut it in the NBA. It would be great to see him have a good Summer League and make the transition well into the NBA.
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