Hoops Notes: Bronny James, Kings, Mike Brown, Bucks

NCAA

USC freshman guard Bronny James will undergo medical testing later this month in hopes of returning to the court, LeBron James said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Bronny went into cardiac arrest during a workout on campus in July.

“Things are going in the right direction with Bronny’s progress,” LeBron told reporters on Monday. “He’s doing rehab. Every week he gets to do more and more and more. We have a big moment at the end of this month to see if we can continue to go forward.

“If he’s cleared, we’ll be not too long away from him being back on the floor and back with his teammates and practicing, with the notion of being back on the floor and playing in game situations.”

USC is ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll and opened its season with an 82-69 win over Kansas State on Monday night.

Kings

With point guard De’Aaron Fox sidelined, the Kings have struggled to match their pace of last season and have yet to resemble the team that won the Pacific Division last season.

So coach Mike Brown said he’s considering all his options to try to get Sacramento on track.

“I’ve got to evaluate some things,” Brown said, via Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “In this business, you always have to have a sense of urgency, but you have to believe in what you do whenever you make any type of change or any time you do this instead of that. For me, I’m going to go back and I’m going to watch the film, and if I feel the same way after the film, then I’ve got to try to make sure I keep trying to put five guys out there who are going to do what we ask, which is to play together and play the right way while playing fast and bringing a sense of physicality.

“I always have a 24-hour rule, especially after something like this. So, I’m going to sleep on it and I’m going to watch this film, and if you earn a chance to play, I’m going to play you. Nobody’s position on this team is sacred.”

Bucks

Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks there is room for improvement with the new-look Bucks, also featuring Damian Lillard. That’s especially the case on defense. 

“I hope we can be better defensively,” Antetokounmpo told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I feel like our gaps wasn’t tight. Guys felt comfortable going one-on-one and getting to the rim, drawing fouls. Our help defense has got to be better.”