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LA Lakers guard Bronny James played his second Summer League game on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. Many wanted to see how he would fare following a four-point, two-rebound and two-assist debut on Saturday versus the Sacramento Kings. James Jr. couldn’t play on Wednesday due to knee swelling, adding to the anticipation of his next appearance.
James Jr. played 29 minutes and did a bit of everything on the floor. He finished with three points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks, two steals and two turnovers. The former Trojan lived up to the hype on the defensive end but showed a significant need to improve his offense.
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Fans reacted to Bronny James’ stat line after the Lakers wilted late to lose 80-76:
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“Bronny’s peak will just be a 3&D role player nothing more, we just gotta start accepting that”
@hamztalkshoops called it as it is:
“Playing like a normal 55th overall pick but bro gonna get scrutinized”
One user couldn’t resist trolling James Jr.:
“Heat’s undrafted players already better than Bronny”
Another commented:
“Demon on defense but he looks scared to shoot”
Just like everybody else who played for both the Miami Heat and LA Lakers, Bronny James had his ups and downs. His defense and instincts are clearly his biggest assets. James Jr. only had two steals, but it did not tell the whole story of his impact on that end.
The Lakers also seemed committed to letting him play through mistakes and bad decisions. LA’s summer league coach Dane Johnson said on Wednesday to ESPN that “learning” and “getting reps” were their priorities for LeBron James’ eldest son. Johnson kept his word as they allowed the younger James to play through everything.
Bronny James wants to pattern his game after Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White
How Bronny James has been playing isn’t exactly surprising. Scouts have already diagnosed his game ad nauseam. The word was his defense was more advanced than his play on offense.
The former USC guard also told ESPN during a pre-draft interview who he wants to pattern his game after. He named Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Davion Mitchell as the players he wants to emulate. James Jr.’s first two Summer League games have already reinforced that conviction.
The LA Lakers will be patient with Bronny James to develop. He will have his moments with the team but will reportedly play the majority of the season with the South Bay Lakers. LA is a big draft winner if James Jr. eventually turns out to be a smaller version of Derrick White or Jrue Holiday.
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