Los Angeles Lakers' Bronny James Earns High Honor For Summer League Performance

Bronny James Top Summer League Sophomore?

One of the biggest things to watch through the summer was if the second-year players took a step forward since the regular season. With the conclusion of the summer league, NBA.com named the top five sophomores, in no particular order, listing James as one of the top performers.

“Following a strong campaign at the California Classic, Bronny James built on the success in Las Vegas. The biggest difference was confidence - James simply looked more comfortable running the offense and continued to shoot the 3-point shot well,” NBA.com’s Jerry Jiang wrote.

Following the California Classic, James’ first summer league appearance was against the Dallas Mavericks and rookie small forward Cooper Flagg. Although James’ shooting was not his best performance, the former Trojan stood out on the defensive side of the ball.

Throughout the games, James’ shooting improved, with his best offensive performance being against the Los Angeles Clippers. The second-year guard scored 17 points with five rebounds, five assists.

The final three games for James showed his potential in the league. Through the three matchups, James averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. 

James exhibited an extra layer of confidence, showing immense growth since his 2024 summer league performance.

Second Year Expectations

While James is not expected to step in as a starter for the Lakers each week, he is developing at a high level for a young player. He is expected to play a larger role with the team as a rotational piece, and the more playing time he earns, the more he will continue to grow.

In recent Lakers news, veteran guard Marcus Smart intends to sign with the Lakers following a buyout with the Washington Wizards. As James is already competing for playing time, adding Smart will make it more challenging for the former Trojan, but it may not be completely bad news for the former Trojan.

Smart signing with the Lakers could be one of the best things for James, as the veteran guard could become a mentor for him. Smart entered the league as an undersized guard as well, but has become one of the top defenders in the league. James has shown better consistency on defense, and with Smart on the team, the former Trojan can learn how to truly break out as a defensive player.

“It’s definitely made me think about being more aggressive on that end of the floor, but I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor because there’s gonna be guys that can score 15, 20 a game. I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now,” James said, speaking to the media following a summer league practice.

“To get myself on the floor, I’ve got to be a defensive menace. That’s my main focus, getting conditioned this year. It’s been shown that I know how to score the ball a little bit, I’m staying true to that, but also focusing on the defensive end,” James said.

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