Is Bronny James’ Debut Game for USC Trojans a Celebration or Doom for LeBron James’ Son?

The University of Southern California Trojans witnessed the largest crowd this season during their game against Long Beach State. Apart from being an important match, another aspect that drew such large numbers was the debut of the NBA legend LeBron James’ son, Bronny James. 

Bronny returned to court almost five months after his cardiac arrest and attracted a lot of fans. He started his warmup almost 90 minutes before tip-off and was seen donning the conventional USC jersey – a white shirt with red pants. But will the USC be a fruitful team for Bronny or will he be just another player in the Andy Enfield squad?

How did Bronny perform?

Bronny entered the hardwood when the game was about seven minutes into the first half. He stole a ball away from his opponents, which they eventually got back. However, it didn’t go as planned since there was a shot-click violation for Long Beach.

Then he also made a three-pointer attempt that he missed. He only played for six minutes in the first half when the USC led by a 45-30 tally. During the second half, he obstructed his rival Jadon Jones’s path by attempting a block.

Overall, the 6-foot-4-inch guard played for 16 minutes and converted one of his three field goal attempts, had a 33.33% three-pointer percentage, and made one out of his two free throw attempts.

Bronny nabbed 3 rebounds with 2 assists and a solitary block. On the offensive, he scored 4 points. He also assisted the sophomore star Vincent Iwuchukwu on a dunk establishing his credibility both as a scorer and a connecting assist maker.

It was thus a decent performance by Bronny who was adjusting to the USC Trojans’ style of gameplay, as this was just his debut match for the Trojans. The Trojans, however, unfortunately lost the game by a close margin of 79-84 during the overtime.

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Despite Bronny trying his best, his team eventually had to face defeat. A lack of game time and a lackluster performance in debut also led to many critics questioning Bronny’s place on the team.

How does Bronny fit in with the Trojans?

The USC Trojans have their star performers in their guards, Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. While Ellis has besotted a team-high score average of 21.4 points, Collier stands just next to him with an outstanding average of 17 points.

Both have been given a respectable game time of 35.6 and 30.6 minutes on average, respectively, by their head coach Andy Enfield. Collier also leads in assists by having an average of 4.2 assists.

While Ellis has a three-pointer percentage of 46.3%, Collier has soused 32% three-pointers. Ellis also has an honorable 76.5% free throw percentage, whereas Collier has a 67.2% free throw percentage. 

With Ellis and Collier standing out in the roster of the Trojans, it is very unlikely that Bronny will be given center stage in the team. Plus, it was only his first game, so currently Enfield and his players will have to see where Bronny fits.

What can Bronny do to make his place?

Bronny’s debut with the USC has a lot of different tangential meanings for him. This is the last year for Ellis, so it is a good time for Bronny to show his prowess and be a contender for a mainstay spot in the team when Ellis passes out. Bronny also proved his mettle through his defensive skills and handled the quick ballers of the opposite team quite well.

For this season, it might just get him close to getting a crucial defensive spot on the roster. The best defender on paper for the Trojans is their guard, Kobe Johnson, who has 5 rebounds per match with 2.9 steals per game. But a tight competition among the teammates is not the only thing troubling Bronny.

The troubles don’t seem to end

He also stands concerned because of his ailing physical health. Though the Sierra Canyon graduate was cleared by the medical team to ply his trade for the Trojans, he isn’t completely fit and his health continues to be monitored by the USC medical team.

He breathed a sigh of relief after he was deemed fit to participate in full contact practice by the doctors. Previously, he was only allowed pre-game warmups and solo practice sessions.

If Bronny wants to make a place for himself, it will have to be in this season. He will also have to take care of his health and perform his best. If the pressure gets to him, then it can present various challenges regarding his health.

Bronny will have to be wise with his game and also smart enough to know how to carve a position for himself in the already star-studded USC team.

Therefore, Bronny’s debut with USC as for now, is not the start of any celebration, rather it is the start of a new journey which at this time poses a lot of questions for the high school star.

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