The NBA journey of Bronny James got underway in a tangible, visible way on Saturday. The Los Angeles Lakers’ summer team played the Sacramento Kings at the California Classic, an NBA exhibition series in San Francisco which precedes the (officially branded) NBA summer league, which begins on Friday, July 12, in Las Vegas.
Bronny James scored four points and made some contributions on defense in his Lakers debut. Sunday, you will be able to watch Bronny again as the Lakers’ summer squad takes on the Golden State Warriors. The game starts just after 3:30 p.m. Pacific time and will air on NBA TV.
Bronny needs to realize that he can’t be the hero. That’s not what he is on the court for. What Bronny did well at USC was be a help defender and a good passer who enabled the halfcourt offense to flow. Bronny is not a lead dog or an alpha male. He is a piece of a larger puzzle and not the star of the show. Even though he is receiving a lot of media attention due to the fact that LeBron James is his father, Bronny needs to remain focused on what makes good team basketball. Saturday, he stayed locked in. He did not shoot well, but he made good decisions and was a responsible help defender who deflected some passes, made a steal, and put his teammates in good positions on the court. Bronny needs to continue to do those things and be patient with the evolution of his offensive game, particularly his jump shot. We will see if Bronny makes progress from Saturday’s opener when he takes the court on Sunday afternoon.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.
Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.