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USA Today via Reuters
Jul 7, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) leans against the hoop stanchion before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
Jul 7, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) leans against the hoop stanchion before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Monday’s summer league was a disaster for Bronny James and the Lakers. The Boston Celtics emerged victorious over the Lakers with an 88-74 score, as the struggles of the USC prospect continue. Bronny James had a rough night, only scoring two points on 1-of-5 shooting. He snagged three rebounds but couldn’t make a single three-pointer and still hasn’t hit a deep shot in the Summer League. The 19-year-old’s performance falls short despite the initial excitement, which has started to turn people’s heads the other way.
Despite being a critic of LeBron James, Skip Bayless initially was enthusiastic about watching Bronny play in the NBA. Bayless recognized Bronny’s ability to improve the team’s performance, which came as a surprise to some, considering he is his father’s harshest critic. “Bronny James can handle playing alongside his all-time great father, the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA. Bronny James was born for this, made for this… This is a tough kid, mentally tough, physically tough kid,” Bayless added.
Unfortunately, Skip’s faith in Bronny took a major hit after the Lakers’ game against the Celtics in Monday’s summer league. “I have gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘how good can he be how quickly’ to ‘can he play?’” Skip said. In the second quarter of the Lakers-Celtics match, Bronny got a pass from his teammate, Maxwell Lewis, in the corner for a great three-point opportunity. The shot totally missed the mark, barely touching the net – an airball. This led Skip and Paul Pierce to agree that Bronny lacked confidence. The 72-year-old veteran seems concerned about Bronny’s performance against the Celtics.
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.@RealSkipBayless is starting to get worried about Bronny James:
“I’ve gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘how good he can be’ to ‘can he play?’” pic.twitter.com/f5CI0ribXl
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 16, 2024
And then, a few minutes into the third quarter, it happened again. With the shot clock running out, James got the ball and had to shoot a deep three over a Celtics defender, but he missed badly again for his second airball in a row. Bronny is 0 for 15 on threes, raising doubts about his NBA potential.
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Is Bronny James NBA material?
The Lakers signed Bronny James to a four-year deal after selecting him as the 55th overall pick. If he and LeBron James play together in a game, they would be the first father-son combination to appear simultaneously in NBA history. However, his performance suggests that he is not a good fit for the NBA.
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USA Today via Reuters
Jul 7, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) leans against the hoop stanchion before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, Bronny James had an average of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game at USC. After playing 25 minutes in four games, the USC prospect has only scored two points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out one assist. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts and has now missed all 15 shots from beyond the arc in four summer games — two in Vegas and two in San Francisco.
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LeBron James’ son is shooting 7 for 31 (23%) this summer, currently averaging 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. Is Bronny James not fit for the NBA, or is it too soon to make a final judgment?