Key stat suggests Bronny James has the tools and is poised to become a lockdown defender in NBA

After a slow start to this year's NBA Summer Leagues, LA Lakers rookie guard Bronny James delivered his second straight solid performance on Thursday. Afterward, a statistic went viral on social media alluding to his potential to become a lockdown NBA defender.

Despite being the No. 55 pick in this year's NBA draft, James has received extensive media coverage to begin his career. That is largely due to him being Lakers superstar forward LeBron James' son.

Over Bronny's first four outings at the California Classic and NBA 2K25 Summer Leagues, the spotlight appeared to be getting to him. He averaged only 4.3 points per game on 22.6% shooting. Meanwhile, he missed all 15 of his 3-point attempts.

However, James broke out of his slump during Wednesday's 87-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers' first of the summer. He tallied a Summer League career-high 12 points on 5-for-11 (45.5%) shooting, going 2-for-5 (40.0%) from long distance.

James followed that up by besting his scoring high again during Thursday's 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He totaled 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one 3-pointer, shooting 5-for-10 (50.0%).

While James' offense took time to round into form, he has maintained a defensive presence throughout both Summer Leagues. Per StatMamba, he ranks third among rookie guards in total steals and blocks (11) this summer.

It's a relatively small sample size. However, James making a steady defensive impact should bode well for his chances of cracking the Lakers' regular-season rotation.

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Bronny James, Lakers set to conclude Summer League schedule against Bulls

After securing their second straight Summer League victory on Thursday, Bronny James and Co. have one more contest on their schedule. They take on the Chicago Bulls in a consolation matchup on Saturday in Las Vegas.

The Lakers will look to end the summer on a high note after failing to qualify for the NBA 2K25 Summer League's four-team postseason tournament.

Through six outings, James is averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 3-pointers per game. However, he still has shooting splits of only 32.7/13.0/62.5.

So, James will likely need to knock down outside shots more consistently, as he did the past two games, to carve out an NBA role.

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