“I’ve gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘how good he can be’ to ‘can he play?’” – Skip Bayless is starting to doubt if Bronny James belongs at this level

In the grand scheme of things, NBA Summer League games don’t matter. Plenty of players failed to show their mettle on this stage but have gone on to have meaningful NBA careers. In the same breath, numbers don’t lie, and at this point, Bronny James ’ numbers in four Summer League games have not looked good.

In fact, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has shot the ball so poorly that some commentators, like Skip Bayless , have begun to question whether the former USC Trojan belongs in the NBA.

Can he play?

From the moment the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, it was a foregone conclusion that the spotlight would be on him in the Summer League. So, it’s no surprise that his dismal numbers have been placed under a microscope. After four games, the 6-foot-2 guard averages a mere 4.3 points per game on 22 percent shooting. Worse, he has missed all 15 of his three-point attempts. These developments have not been lost on Bayless.

“I must admit I have gone from trying to evaluate Bronnie as to how good can he be and how quickly, to can he play? I'm just looking for, like you, I'm looking now for more flashes to see if he can play,” the popular commentator said on “Undisputed.”

Skip said Bronny’s inaccuracy from the perimeter is already concerning, but what’s more bothersome is the young player’s utter lack of aggression on the floor.

“Yeah, because the most troubling thing of all, I've watched four full games now, and he shot a total of six free throws. He's three out of six from the free-throw line. That's what's troubling to me because there is no attack mode to him at all. He goes and stands in the corner,” Bayless asserted.

Extended shooting slump

Players—even the league’s superstars—go through dry spells. Bronny's has been horrendous, seemingly shaking his confidence. Skip said he saw this in the game against the Boston Celtics when LeBron's son had several good looks at the basket but hit nothing but air.

“But man, it got so bad at the end of the half that he did get a pretty wide-open look, a corner three, and this has got to be his bread and butter. It looked pretty good; he held the pose for a second like, ‘I think I got that one.’ When you're that short, now you're really in a slump,” Skip quipped.

As mentioned, four Summer League games mean nothing regarding the big picture. However, they do raise concerns about how he will perform under pressure in the NBA. Will teams be able to exploit his weaknesses in crucial moments? Can he handle the mental toughness required to succeed at the highest level? While only time will tell, one thing's certain: Bronny needs to work on finding his rhythm and confidence to make his mark in the NBA.

Related: Rich Paul reacts to Jaylen doubting Bronny: "I know he doesn't mean that with any malice, he's just having a conversation"