"He was just playing poorly" - Nick Wright sheds light on Bronny James' coping with LA 'spotlight' amid Lakers' 1st win

Longtime NBA analyst Nick Wright shared his opinion about Bronny James on FS1's First Things First after the LA Lakers finally got a win in the Summer League. They won against the Atlanta Hawks (87-86) on Wednesday, July 17.

The young prospect had 12 points and a rebound. He also shot well from the field as he made five of his 11 shots. Beyond the arc, he went 2-5 from the long range.

Impressed by his performance, Wright talked about a possible reason why the former USC guard struggled in his first games.

​

​

​

"I don't think [Bronny] is in way over his skis for Summer League. I think he was just playing poorly," Wright said about Bronny. "There had to be an element of 'Man, this is a lot.' He's a 19-year-old kid who also has not had--forget having the spotlight."

He added:

​

​

​

"Maybe it would've been like this at USC because as far as the spotlight, but not post-cardiac arrest. Even his high school team had a bigger star on it... All of a sudden he shows up at Summer League, his face is on the little sideline banner stuff. It's just a lot... I think that he's fine for Summer League."

After the game, Wright now expects more performances similar to what Bronny had against the Hawks. Their next game will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, July 18.

---

Bronny James is looking forward to playing with his father

Bronny and his dad, LeBron James, are the first father-son duo to possibly play together in the NBA—they are the first to be the on the same team at the same time.

In recent years, LeBron often shared his desire of playing with his firstborn. Now, it's Bronny who's keeping the fans excited as he shared his thoughts about the forthcoming scenario:

​

​

​

"Yeah, I mean, it's a big step for both of us," the former USC guard said to ESPN after the game against Atlanta. "I feel like playing together [and] going to work together every day is just going to build on the relationship we already have. Build that connection, maybe even stronger. But I'm excited to get to work with my dad."

It is uncertain when Bronny will debut for the Lakers. Until then, he is expected to spend some time with the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

​