Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Bronny James Turns Heads In NBA Summer League, Los Angeles Lakers Win

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 8:51 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their first win of the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League session in a 94-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. It was a good outing from the Lakers' second-year guard Bronny James, who contributed heavily in Los Angeles' win.

After an off-night on the offensive end in the summer league opener on Friday, James quickly turned things around in the win over the Pelicans.

The former USC Trojans' star, James finished with 14 points, 3 assists, and two steals as he helped direct the Lakers' offense. James shot 5-11 from the field and was 1-5 from behind the arc. He was the team's second leading scorer behind Cole Swider, who provided a game-high 21 points in the win.

One of James' biggest strengths coming out of USC was his ability to shoot threes and defend. His defense has been put to the test early during his second summer with the Lakers. From matching up vs. the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, to relied upon in clutch moments on offense, James has had his fair share of spotlight moments so far.

Although he wasn't a first round pick, James had one of the most anticpated rookie seasons ever this past season. The Laker's summer league team isn't filled with players with tons of NBA experience, allowing James to gain valuable in-game minutes. James has started both of their two summer league games and has logged at least 24 minutes in each game.

Los Angeles' summer league coach Dane Johnson said that one of the main purposes of playing in the summer league is to develop and James has been doing just.

"Shoot, he's going to have a long career," Johnson said after their summer league opening loss on Friday. "This is just the beginning. We just keep instilling [confidence], keep that in their heads. So we've got a long way to go."

After hardly addressing the backcourt in the offseason, James will have his shot of cracking Lakers' coach JJ Redick's rotation during the regular season. Los Angeles added Arkansas guard Adout Thiero in the 2025 NBA Draft with the No. 36 pick in the second round, but other than that, made no other additions to the Lakers' backcourt.

During his rookie season in 2024, James averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds in about 6.7 minutes of action across 27 games. He bounced between Los Angeles' G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, and the main squad.

James has been scruitinzed like no other second rookie before thanks to his status as Lebron James' son. However, he really is a talented NBA player and has been fighting to make an impact based off his play, not his name. And a solid summer league performance goes a long way to proving that.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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