While father LeBron James helped the United States beat Serbia in the Olympics exhibition game, Bronny James finally overcame his inner demons and broke through the shackles. Ex-USC star played like an NBA draftee should, after all the noise around his selection by the Lakers. The 55th pick of the Purple and Gold put up 12 points to get the Lakers their 1st Summer League win after 5 losses.

The 19-year-old was 7-for-31 coming into the game with 3 games under his belt. However, he took it on the chin and shot an efficient 5-for-11 from the field. He addressed the reporters after a game with a smile and no glimpse of the pressure that was showing in his earlier sightings.

“Just having the support system behind you. My mom and my dad really helped me to stay focused and keep being myself,” said Bronny after the Lakers’ 87-86 win over the Hawks. “I’m excited to work,” Bronny continued. And what he’s looking forward to the most as his father serves for the nation. “Going against each other at practice”.

Bronny James finally broke a major slump

After facing disappointment since the commencement of the Summer League, the tide finally seems to be turning in Bronny James’s favor. Los Angeles Lakers’ latest encounter against the Hawks saw him put up an impressive score of 12 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. It also allowed him to break his 3-pointer slump after having gone through the first three games without one. Tonight was a memorable game, and Bronny is for sure not going to forget it anytime soon.

In the aftermath of the matchup, Bronny described how he chose to forget about all the missed shots that he made and the games he lost this time around. The focus was solely on giving his best, a mindset that seemed to have worked out in the end, especially when it came to his first three-pointer.

“Really good, it felt really good,” said Bronny when describing how he felt after making the highly anticipated shot.

The 19-year-old unfortunately couldn’t have his father present to witness his feat live, since preparations for the upcoming Paris Olympics took him all the way to Abu Dhabi. After coming barely close to securing their win against Australia, Team USA was able to become victorious with a bigger (105-79) margin this time around. After a slow start in the beginning, James and Davis were able to take charge during the second quarter. The lead scorer ended the night with 11 points and 2 assists, while Davis added to the score with his 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 blocks.

While LeBron himself couldn’t have been available to see his son’s series in Vegas, Savannah James continues to make her presence known, even if it is coming at a cost. For Bronny, his recent performance has finally given something new for NBA analysts to talk about. After all, his string of abysmal games before the Hawks matchup did not raise his bar by much.

Bronny James Stats

During his debut game in the California Classic Summer League, Bronny James saw himself going up against the Sacramento Kings. What was supposed to be his first test on the NBA field soon became a letdown, as the player only scored 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal during the game. He accumulated this score by shooting 2-9 from the field, and 0-3 three-pointers.

Bronny missed the matchup against the Golden State Warriors after developing a swelling in his left knee. After returning to the lineup, his bad run continued after only managing to add 3 points against the Miami Heat through his 1-3 shooting. Things started to improve a bit for him when going up against the Houston Rockets, as he managed to secure his then All-Time High score of 8 points. However, by the time his first three games had ended, the young James had only accumulated 15 points, which was not enough to help the Lakers win any of the matchups.

Adding to that, by going 6-of-26 in total with his shooting from the field and 0-12 from the three-point range, Bronny proved that he needed to improve a bit on the offensive front.

In spite of this, the player showed signs of being a bit efficient on the defensive side. In the matchup against the Heat, he added 2 steals and 3 blocks to his name. Furthermore, the Rockets game had him using 5 defensive rebounds and 2 steals to provide the other players on his roster with a slight advantage. This is what JJ Redick wants to focus on.

“What I’ve communicated to him right now, what we’re looking for is defensive ball pressure,” said Redick in a recent interview with SiriusXM Radio. “I told him this yesterday. I said, ‘I don’t care if you have 10 fouls. I don’t care if you get blown by. What I do care about is if you’re on the ball and you’re three feet off the ball. Like you have to be a guy that’s a ball hawk at all times.’”

LeBron James himself has attempted to downplay his son’s abysmal performance, claiming that “You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it once the season starts.” With Bronny’s recent performance, there may yet be hope that he is in a better position since his debut in the NBA regular season.