Summer Run Ends For Bronny James, Lakers: ‘It’s Still Gonna Take A Lot Of Time And Reps’

July 21, 2024

That’s it for Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Their run in the NBA Las Vegas Summer Run has reached its end.

Now, we won’t see the most celebrated No. 55 overall pick in league history until the Lakers embark on training camp.

So, how did it go?

Well, for starters, James didn’t play in the final game, an easy win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Before that, he fared pretty well in his last two — finishing with 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting over his final two games. He also hit three of his final eight 3-pointers after starting 0-of-15 behind the arc.

So, James showed some promise, but undoubtedly still has a ways to go to be an NBA contributor. That’s OK, though. That’s what the Lakers were expecting.

“He had two pretty good games last two,” Lakers summer coach Dane Johnson told reporters. “I think it’s just going to help him going into the summer so we can work on different things with him. Just that confidence and knowing he can play at this level. It’s still going to take a lot of time and a lot of reps.”

James started summer league play — first in San Francisco, then Vegas — by shooing a miserable 7-of-31 overall. That led to talk that he wasn’t an NBA player, that the Lakers merely drafted him as a father to famous father LeBron James.

But Bronny quieted some of that criticism with two decent showings.

“In general, he doesn’t let any of that stuff get to him,” Johnson said. “He just wants to play basketball and be on a team. He’s a good kid. He’s listening. He’s trying to learn.”

On the downside, Bronny James is built like a point guard (at 6-foot-2) but has the game of an NBA shooting guard. So working on his ballhandling abilities is likely a high priority.

“I think right now he’s more of a [shooting guard], but I think he could be a combo-ish,” Johnson said. “He picks up stuff really well. We throw stuff at him — plays, coverages, defensively. He kind of picks it up really quick, so I think he could potentially be [a point guard]. Maybe we’ll work on that in the summer, but I think right now being that secondary playmaker is kind of where he’s at right now.”