We know that in any sport, the players who get the most playing time are those who can make an impact on both sides of the ball. Therefore, Bronny James is in no position to get extended minutes with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, players who can at least make an impact on one side of the ball will get more minutes than players who can’t make any sort of impact at all. Viewed through this lens, Bronny James is developing an identity as a player who can at least find his way onto an NBA roster in the course of time. He won’t be a main rotation player, but he could at least become the kind of player who is inserted in specific situations when his team needs defense and not offense. He isn’t emerging as a two-way threat, but he can be a situational substitute. His NBA summer performances explain why this is the case, as LeBron Wire notes:
James has looked comfortable out on the court so far in summer league play, both with and without the basketball. But he hasn’t been able to find himself yet, at least offensively.
On Wednesday, he scored just three points on 1-of-3 shooting. On the other hand, he did have five rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals, so he did make a positive impact on the game in more ways than one.
In fact, James led the Lakers in plus-minus at 14. While it can be a misleading stat, it was one measure of what he is ultimately capable of once he finds himself as a pro player.
If Bronny James consistently has games in which he accumulates 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots, and 2 steals, that’s a lot of defensive impact and off-ball impact. It’s not enough to give him major minutes, but if he can replicate that versus NBA-quality competition, he will be on an NBA roster at the back of the bench.
One could do worse. More specifically, one could fail to make an NBA roster altogether. Bronny James does have a path to the NBA, and his lack of scoring shouldn’t close that path — at least not yet.
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