Is Bronny James playing tonight against Atlanta Hawks? Latest on Lakers guard's status for Summer League game (July 17)

Bronny James and the LA Lakers are scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in Summer League action in Las Vegas. The game will tipoff at 9:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on ESPN. It will also be broadcast locally on Bally Sports SE-ATL. Fans can also watch the game on NBA League Pass.

Bronny James might not be among the highly drafted players in action in Las Vegas but he is definitely among the most talked about, if not the No. 1 on that list. James is likely to suit up Wednesday if not for any unforeseen circumstances.

The LA Lakers have played two games so far and lost both. In their first matchup against the Houston Rockets on Friday, they were handed a 99-80 loss. LA then played the defending NBA Champions Boston Celtics on Monday and lost yet again 88-74.

Bronny James made the headlines in the most recent game as Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who was in attendance, seemed to say that LeBron James’ son is not made for the pros. Brown has since cleared the air and praised the father-son duo on X, formerly Twitter.

How has LA Lakers’ Bronny James fared in the Summer League so far?

It was always going to be a tough job for Bronny to fulfil the expectations thrown at him because of his father. The fact that he has failed to put up convincing numbers has only added to the narrative against the former USC Trojan.

In the two NBA 2K Summer League games, James averages 5.0 points on 21.1% shooting, including 0% from the 3-point line. He also averages 4.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists. If he is to become a rotational piece in the NBA, James has to do a lot of work on his game.

The good thing for him, though, is that LA Lakers coach JJ Redick is willing to give him a long leash to prove himself and sees Bronny as a developmental player. Redick wants to see more defensive ball pressure from the guard. The newly appointed coach even drew comparisons with the OKC Thunder’s Lu Dort and believes Bronny could be a similar type of player in the future.

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