The NBA Summer League has ended, and the Los Angeles Lakers' second-round draft pick, Bronny James, has received a lot of attention, and he is almost the most talked-about player in this draft. However, his performance was not very good.
Of course, we shouldn't look at and demand Bronny James by the standards of a first-round drafter. Bronny James averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in Summer League in his rookie season.
In the early days of Summer League, his performance was miserable. However, as the game progressed, after Jaylen Brown publicly taunted him, his form also picked up a lot. He also repeatedly stood up at critical moments and helped the team with his excellent offense and defense.
Of course, we are also very aware that Bronny James is only 19 years old, is still a second-round draft, and suffered some injuries last year. So, we can't expect him to play as a top potential star. We're also curious to see what Dane Johnson, the team's summer league head coach, will think of Bronny James after the summer league is over.
Dane Johnson: "He's played pretty well in the last two games. I think it will help him go into the summer, so we can do different things with him. It's that confidence and knowing that he can play at this level. This still takes a lot of time and repetition. ”
"In general, he doesn't let these things affect him. He just wants to play basketball and join a team. He's a good boy, he's listening, he's studying hard. ”
Dane Johnson's assessment of Bronny James is very pertinent, and he believes that Bronny James still has some room for improvement. However, his weaknesses are also very obvious. And that's that as a point guard, the power is not enough. As a shooting guard, he wasn't good enough for size.
"I think he's more of a shooting guard right now, but I think he can be a combination. He learns really well. We talk to him about things - tactics, cover, defense. He's a quick learner, so I think he has the potential to be a point guard. Maybe we'll continue to work hard in the summer, but I think now as the second playmaker is where he is now. ”
Indeed, although Bronny James is only 19 years old, his height is only 1.88 meters. We can see that in the current league, the upper limit of defenders who are about 1.88 meters tall is not high. Therefore, we can also see that Bronny James did not have much advantage on both offensive and defensive ends in the summer league.
Although the form picked up in the next few games, Bronny James shot only 35.0% from the field and 15.8% from three-point range throughout the summer league. As a rookie player, in an era dominated by offense, it is difficult to stay in the NBA for a long time without a great size advantage and excellent outside shooting ability.