Tag: Bronny James

Doubted by many, Bronny James delivers quality NBA summer league game

Bronny made two 3-pointers. When he shoots well, he becomes a genuinely good player.

You have seen it and heard it just as much as we have. You have seen Bronny James play NBA summer league basketball along with us. It has not been easy or fun to watch, even though Bronny has shown he can play defense and do some good things off the ball. If a player can’t shoot and can’t score, it will be hard to find a place in the NBA. It is still more than likely that Bronny’s next two seasons of pro ball will be spent primarily in the G League. However, for one night, the whole package was in evidence. Everything came together. We saw a glimpse of what Bronny James can become. He made two 3-pointers and scored 12 points to complement his defense. College Sports Wire has more on Wednesday night’s developments in the summer league:

While Bronny’s solid performance on Wednesday almost certainly won’t quiet the haters – nor should one game turn the tides much – it’s at least a sign that an NBA caliber player is hidden in there somewhere.

The bar to clear as the 55th overall pick is quite low, and while he will never be judged fairly based on his draft stock, any level of NBA production would be a win for the Lakers and another incredible story to add to LeBron’s legacy before he rides off into the sunset.

Wednesday’s game was a start.

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Bronny James breaks out of slump, helps Lakers to win in summer league

Bronny James snapped a cold spell and produced his best outing of summer league to help lead the Lakers to a win over the Hawks.

Bronny James snapped a cold spell on the court and produced his best outing of the NBA Summer League on Wednesday to help lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

James produced 12 points, one rebound and one steal in 23 minutes in the 87-86 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. He went 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, in his fifth appearance.

The 55th pick entered the contest in a slump, missing his first 15 attempts from beyond the arc this summer between Sacramento and Las Vegas. He came out and made four out of his first five shot attempts and later made a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game up in the fourth quarter.

James was one of three Lakers who finished in double figures, joining Colin Castleton (17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) and Blake Hinson (14 points). The group picked up its first win in the desert, improving to 1-2 through three games.

First-round pick Dalton Knecht did not play.

With James breaking out a bit in the contest, the 19-year-old will look to build on that performance over the Lakers’ last two games. The team will face Cleveland on Thursday (9 p.m. EDT, ESPN) and finish with Chicago on Saturday (7 p.m. EDT, NBA TV).

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Rich Paul: Jeanie Buss made the call to draft Bronny James

Rich Paul, the agent for both LeBron James and Bronny James, claims Lakers owner Jeanie Buss pulled the trigger on drafting the latter.

Even though he was only the No. 55 pick in last month’s NBA draft, Bronny James is the most talked-about incoming rookie in the league right now. Obviously, it is because he is the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, although some feel he has some real potential himself.

Others who aren’t as optimistic about his potential feel the only reason the Lakers drafted him was because of the influence of his father, as well as Rich Paul, who is the agent for both the younger and elder James. The perception is that Paul, at the behest of the elder James, dictated the entire pre-draft process to make sure the younger James would end up with the Lakers.

In an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Paul said Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was the one who decided to draft the 19-year-old.

“Look, Jeanie Buss decided that she’s making this call, and she’s been able to see Bronny in all aspects not only from a basketball perspective but also from a character perspective,” said Paul. “And he has everything that aligns with the Laker brand. And so, you have to make that type of call. At the end of the day, we’re not going to spend too much time on that. Bronny has to work his way, and he will.”

In the end, this statement won’t convince critics that the decision to draft the younger James was an organic one rather than an orchestrated one that was meant to appease the elder James.

The former University of Southern California guard shot very poorly in his first four summer league games this month. But on Wednesday, he finally broke out with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting while also going 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Prior to Wednesday’s game, he had missed all 15 of his 3-point attempts.

Rich Paul downplays Jaylen Brown – Bronny James kerfuffle

In a recent courtside conversation, Brown was seen chatting with a fan about Bronny James perhaps not being good enough for the NBA.

Over the last few days, star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has found himself getting some negative press about a conversation we are not even 100% sure actually happened. In a recent courtside conversation, Brown was seen chatting with a fan about Bronny James perhaps not being good enough for the NBA, or at least that is what untrained lip-readers seemed to think.

Brown, for his part, did not deny that he may have said such a thing when responding to speculation about that conversation. But that did not stop Bronny’s agent Rich Paul from trying to defuse the situation on a recent episode of ESPN’s “Pat McAfee” show. “I saw some of the stuff that came out about Jaylen Brown,” he began via Boston Dot Com’s Khari Thompson.

“You can’t take everybody’s opinion and try to turn it against them or think that he’s a bad person …” he said. “No — they have opinions, they can say what they want to say.”

“At least he is someone who is actually in the league,” continued Paul. “There’s a lot of ‘experts’ with no expertise. He’s actually an expert with expertise.”

“So, if he has that opinion, he can have that opinion, but I know Jaylen. I know he doesn’t mean that with any malice. He was just having a conversation.”

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Summer Lakers finally get a win against the Hawks on Wednesday

With their biggest headline-maker finally playing well, the Lakers’ summer league team finally got into the victory column.

This was starting to look like a rough summer for the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost each of their three games during the California Classic, and they started out the NBA’s main summer league with two losses to the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics.

On Wednesday, they took on the Atlanta Hawks without Dalton Knecht, who was sitting out for rest, and center Moses Brown, who has a non-COVID-19 illness.

Los Angeles got off quickly and took an early 12-2 lead, and although Atlanta came back to make things close and then take a double-digit lead in the third quarter, it didn’t fold.

It fought back down the stretch, and with the game on the line, L.A. stood tall defensively and got a stop on the final possession to preserve an 87-86 win.

A few of its players stepped up to finally get a victory in summer league play.

Colin Castleton: While Castleton may not have convinced people he deserves a spot in the big league Lakers’ center rotation, he has looked good for much of this summer, as he did last summer.

He made all but one of his nine field-goal attempts to score 17 points, and he also grabbed 12 rebounds. Castleton also dished off six assists in 24 minutes and showed his ability to facilitate in the set offense.

Blake Hinson: Hinson, who was an excellent 3-point shooter at the University of Pittsburgh (he shot 42.1% from downtown this past season), has been hit-and-miss during summer league play. But on Wednesday, he was able to get his shot to fall consistently.

He went 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and overall, he scored 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

Maxwell Lewis: Lewis had another rough outing as he shot just 3-of-12 from the floor. In the third quarter, he put up a nifty spin move and looked to throw down a dunk on the fast break, but he had his attempt blocked by E.J. Liddell.

On a positive note, he did display some defense on Wednesday by blocking two shots

Lewis appears to have some trouble finishing near the rim. But his raw skills are apparent, and if he puts in enough work, perhaps he will become a rotation player in the NBA before long.

Bronny James: Finally, James showed some of the potential he displayed in high school. He made each of his first three shots of the contest, and he even hit his first 3-pointer after going 0-of-15 from that distance prior to Wednesday in summer league play.

The 19-year-old finished with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from downtown.

Bronny James hits pair of threes in strong NBA Summer League performance

Bronny James had his strongest performance so far in NBA Summer League, but the Lakers guard has a long way to go to quiet the doubters.

It’s no secret Bronny James has not looked good in NBA Summer League. The Los Angeles Lakers guard, who was picked 55th in the NBA draft last month, went 0-11 from three in his first two matchups in Las Vegas before putting together a quality performance Wednesday evening in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

James finished with 12 points on 5-11 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes – including a game-tying triple in the fourth quarter – while also flashing good pick and roll navigation in the early going.

James has been the recipient of a bevy of criticism the past year, stemming from the decision to declare for the NBA draft after a mediocre performance as a freshman at USC.

Players with his level of production (4.8 points on 36.6% shooting from the field and 26.7% from three) and lack of size (6’1 without shoes) rarely even stay in the draft process, nevermind get selected and signed to a multi-year guaranteed contract.

However, James is not your run-of-the-mill teenage basketball prospect: he’s the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, who – despite walking this statement back – made it clear at one point he wants to play with his son at the next level (side note: who wouldn’t want that?).

Still, Bronny not producing in college, or at the NBA combine, and now struggling in Summer League has given the anti-LeBron crowd, and the larger anti-nepotism crowd, plenty of ammunition to criticize the James family.

While Bronny’s solid performance on Wednesday almost certainly won’t quiet the haters – nor should one game turn the tides much – it’s at least a sign that an NBA caliber player is hidden in there somewhere.

The bar to clear as the 55th overall pick is quite low, and while he will never be judged fairly based on his draft stock, any level of NBA production would be a win for the Lakers and another incredible story to add to LeBron’s legacy before he rides off into the sunset.

Wednesday’s game was a start.

Bronny James going to the Lakers remains a topic of intense debate

People are still really wound up about a No. 55 draft pick.

Jeff Teague discusses former USC Trojans guard Bronny James getting to play with LeBron James after being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024. Teague and his co-hosts discuss the NBA futures of Paul George and Klay Thompson, among others.

LeBron Wire has more on Bronny James:

The son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was taken with the No. 55 pick in last month’s draft. Plenty feel that nepotism was the only reason why the younger James was drafted by L.A., or even drafted at all, especially considering the weak freshman year he had at the University of Southern California.

Analyst Craig Carton said on “The Carton Show” that the younger James has been “exposed” and is “not an NBA player.” He also said the 19-year-old is taking playing time away from other summer league players who are more deserving of playing time (h/t The Cold Wire).

No one should have thought Bronny was NBA-ready right now. He was always going to need time in the G League. That’s where we are. No one should be surprised.

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Lakers coach JJ Redick believes Bronny James is on Lu Dort trajectory

Lakers coach JJ Redick believes Bronny James is on Lu Dort trajectory.

As the Los Angeles Lakers plan to develop Bronny James, head coach JJ Redick had a lightbulb go off during the Canada vs. USA Olympics exhibition.

Redick believes James could eventually develop into someone of the capacity of Lu Dort, who’s been one of the best perimeter defenders in the league since his arrival in 2019.

Redick revealed the comparison in an interview with Sirius XM Radio.

“We were at the Canada-USA basketball exhibition game,” Redick said. “And I turned to one of our assistant coaches during the game. And I said, ‘I think Lu Dort just single-handedly broke up the eighth possession of the game.'”

This has been common for Dort over the years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s been their top POA defender for four seasons. He worked his way from an undrafted rookie to a hefty extension.

“Like, his impact. You can’t get into your offense,” Redick said. “Sometimes, the shot clock winds down because of his ball pressure. He literally blows up entire plays because of that pressure. And I really believe this. Bronny will eventually be that guy.”

Many critics scoffed when James was drafted with the No. 55 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He came off the bench for a poor USC squad. It was believed the 19-year-old was added because of his father LeBron James — a clear sign of nepotism.

Those critics have turned louder following his subpar play in the summer league. He’s undersized at 6-foot-1 and has yet to register an outside shot against pseudo-NBA talent.

It’s an unfair comparison towards Dort, who was a much more accomplished collegiate player at Arizona State. After going undrafted, he finished his rookie campaign as a playoff starter matched against James Harden.

If James turned into Dort, that’s the best — and a tad unrealistic — outcome. This feels like a coach vouching for one of his players. Redick came under fire recently for stating James earned his way into an NBA roster.

With that said, there are other ways to campaign for James that don’t involve unfair comparisons. What Redick said just sets the 19-year-old for more ridicule.

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Enes Freedom attacks LeBron James, calls him the dictator of the NBA

Former NBA big man Enes Freedom had some very harsh words for Lakers superstar LeBron James.

LeBron James is one of the greatest players in basketball history, but he has also become polarizing over the last several years. While he continues to have his legion of fans who almost worship him, he also has lots of critics who harangue him, often in a hyperbolic fashion, for a number of things.

Former NBA big man Enes Freedom has been one of James’ harshest critics over the last few years. In the fall of 2019, he blasted the Los Angeles Lakers superstar for comments that were made about protestors in Hong Kong, and the other day, he was at it again.

He called James “the dictator of the NBA” while claiming that if someone goes “against his agenda,” that player will be traded. He also claimed that no one wants to play on the same team as James — other than his son Bronny.

Via Lakers Daily:

“He (the younger James) might be a good dude, but he’s not good enough to play in the NBA,” Freedom said. “The reason he got drafted is because of LeBron. The reason J.J. Redick is the coach is because of LeBron.”

The former big man also claimed the elder James always finds a scapegoat when a season isn’t successful.

“No other player wants to go play with LeBron,” Freedom said. “You had so many other free agents. … No one wanted to go play with him, because they know that it’s all about LeBron. They’re gonna get zero clout. … When the Lakers’ season fails, LeBron tries to find a player to blame, and he blamed the whole season on Russell Westbrook, so he is not a good teammate. Obviously, he runs the media, and he tries to control this narrative, but when you actually know and have a conversation inside of the NBA and its players, nobody wants to play with him.

“… When I see a dictator, I know it – LeBron is literally like the dictator of the NBA. He controls the media. He controls his narrative. If you go against his agenda, you get traded. Everybody knows it.”

There is certainly a feeling around the NBA that the younger James is a member of the Lakers only because of his father’s influence, whether it is true or not. He has struggled during summer league play so far, going just 7-of-31 from the field and 0-of-15 from 3-point range in four games.

The Lakers literally haven’t signed or traded for a single outside player so far this summer, other than the younger James and first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht. It has led to general manager Rob Pelinka being criticized yet again for what people see as roster mismanagement.

NBA fans roasted Bronny James for a pair of Summer League airballs

Not great.

Aside from winning the NBA Summer League’s Call of Duty tournament, Bronny James has had a rough go of it so far.

His Los Angeles Lakers faced the Boston Celtics in a Summer League matchup, and while the headlines are all about what Jaylen Brown appeared to say about him, there’s also his performance on the court, and it … wasn’t good.

Now, as we’ve said a lot, we know it’s going to take time for Bronny to acclimate to the NBA, and he’ll probably play a bunch in the G League.

But still, he’s airballing shots and it’s not great:

But there was this monster block! That’s good!

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