The NBA Summer League has kicked off, and it did not go as expected for the LA Lakers’ much-anticipated draft, Bronny James. In the disheartening loss from the Houston Rockets, Bronny delivered an underwhelming field performance of 3-for-14 shooting. Also, he only racked up eight points on the scoreboard for his team. Marking only a 23.1% shooting percentage throughout his three summer games, James is definitely not measuring up to the title of shooting guard. He could not score a point on any of his 12-shot attempts. However, the summer league coach for the purple and golden jerseys Dane Johnson does not think the same on the 19-year-old’s hoop slump.

While speaking to ESPN about King James’ son going through a bad phase, Johnson expressed his confidence in the young prospect, “Shoot, he’s going to have a long career. This is just the beginning.” Still, Johnson admitted that Bronny is lacking on some ends and that he is still far ahead from being a great player, stating, “We just keep instilling [confidence], keep that in their heads. So, we’ve got a long way to go.”

With Johnson’s stance on Bronny’s progress journey, ESPN queried him further about the 19-year-old potentially playing in the G-league next season to which he answered, “I don’t know about that yet, so I can’t really comment on that. But I think all these guys are going to be in the G League at some point — the draftees.” Johnson, also the coach for South Bay Lakers [Lakers’ G-League team], and his words seemed to imply that LeBron’ elder one might be spending time in the G-League next season.

With these implications, the deal sounds similar to a two-way contract, although it’s not the one. What is worth noting is that LeBron made the front office sign Bronny because he wanted to play with his son on the court. But it seems a father’s dream might not live their dream to the fullest, even for an NBA future Hall of Famer. Nevertheless, there is hope for the young prospect with the coaching staff’s reaction to his play against Houston on Friday.

Bronny James still has chances to play permanently?

If Bronny James accepts the G-league aspect of his stint at the Lakers, it will go against what his agent Rich Paul claimed before. However, there is still hope for the young prospect, as his defensive prowess did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff. In fact, the young prospect made two steals against Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 draft pick for the Rockets who wreaked havoc against the Lakers. He scored 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Lakers.

Still, Bronny managed to halt the shooting guard at some points. In Bronny’s words, “I was trying to pick him up full court and showing my effort to the GM and coaches.” Indeed, it did not go in vain since the Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick, Scott Brooks, and Nate McMillan were sitting courtside to observe the potential players.  While appearing on the Houston-Lakers post-game broadcast, Redick seemed impressed with Bronny’s defensive abilities and quoted James as “terrific” till now.

With such compliments from the technical end coach Redick himself, no wonder Bronny James can have exponential growth. However, the team operates on results and if it’s not evident in the game, things might go south for even LeBron’s son as well. What’s your take on it after going through all the facts? Will Bronny share the court with his father for long minutes next season? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.