How good is Bronny James? Strengths, weaknesses and preseason stats
By James H. Williams, USA TODAY,
6 hours ago
It should have come as no surprise that Bronny James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, considering the build-up from over the past year about him playing on the same team as his father, LeBron James .
Bronny isn’t expected to come in immediately as a key rotation player but rather have his rookie season serve as an opportunity for him to develop.
While he will likely spend some time on the primary roster, most of his development could come from his time with the organization’s G-League team, the South Bay Lakers, where he should have more minutes available to play.
After being drafted, there was a level of anticipation about when Bronny would share the court with his father. That moment came in the first half of the Lakers’ preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, making history and becoming the first father-son duo to play an NBA game together.
“It was like the matrix or something,” LeBron James said after sharing the court with his son. “It just didn’t feel real.”
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Oct. 18, 2024. James made his first start of the preseason. Cary Edmondson, Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Bronny continued to see extended minutes and shared the court with the Lakers' other starters like Anthony Davis in the 128-122 overtime win against the Suns in a second game on Oct. 17.
Bronny made his first and only start of the preseason in the team’s finale and managed to produce his best performance yet.
He finished the outing with 17 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes played during the 132-74 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Bronny has the potential to be a quality defensive player in the NBA. He recorded three blocks against the Timberwolves in his preseason debut and three steals against the Warriors to finish the exhibition season.
Bronny’s defensive ability and decision-making could work in his favor as he tries to establish a career in the league.
“He's a toolsy defender with a high IQ who plays hard and smart, though, and in time, I think we'll find that this developmental pick was more than just ceremonial to make 'The King' happy,” CBS writer Kyle Boone said.
Before his preseason performance, scouts were asked for their impressions of the second-generation player during the NBA scouting combine back in May.
"I still don't think he's ready but he did some good things," ESPN's Mark Spears said while reading a scout's thoughts of Bronny on "NBA Today." "He's going to have to be elite on defense. You can see he has good vision, makes the right passes and takes good shots."
What are Bronny James’ weaknesses?
Bronny’s lack of experience could factor into what his first NBA season looks like. James played just one season at USC after going into cardiac arrest in late July 2023.
“Anytime a young man misses four months, including the first part of the season, it’s hard to just start playing in December,” former USC coach Andy Enfield told Yahoo in May . “You’re behind on a variety of things, including conditioning, timing on offense and defense, the system you’re trying to learn. It’s really hard as a freshman, but I give him a ton of credit. He showed up every day focused, he works extremely hard and is a great teammate.”
Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game in 25 games for the Trojans. The combo guard also averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals as a senior at Sierra Canyon.
"He should be a point guard based on his size but he can't run an offense," Spears continued with comments from another scout. "He’s handicapped as an undersized shooting guard because he can't shoot. ... He needs screens to create space and his only scoring came on paint touch floaters and can only go left. "
The rookie is listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and just turned 20 years old earlier this month.
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