"No matter what level I’m playing at" - Bronny James teases switch to G-League following rocky Summer League performance
Bronny James and the LA Lakers lost 99-80 to the Houston Rockets on Friday. James had a rough start, making 1-for-4 shots with a turnover before having a good stretch to end the first quarter with six points. The rookie had a handful of solid plays on defense but was also torched by the Rockets’ No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard.
James did not score in the second and third quarters before making a jumper late in the final frame to finish with eight points. He shot 3-for-14, including 0-for-8 from behind the arc. LeBron James’ son is now 6-for-26 (23.1%), including 0-for-12 in 3-pointers in three games this summer.
In a postgame interview, Bronny James was asked about possibly spending time with the South Bay Lakers to develop his game. The former Trojan answered (via Dan Woike):
"I’m just looking forward to any basketball I play – no matter what level I’m playing at."
JJ Redick, the Lakers’ new coach, was not unconcerned about James’ obvious struggles on offense. Redick, in an ESPN interview, was confident about the rookie turning his game around on that end. What the former podcaster stressed was how the guard could become a “ballhawk” on defense.
To achieve that goal, James Jr. is likely to spend most of his rookie season in the G-League. Redick sees him as a “development project” but predicts the rookie will eventually become somebody like the OKC Thunder’s Lu Dort.
Bronny James says he is in “a little slump”
Bronny James averaged 3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in roughly 26 minutes in two California Classic games. He followed it up with an eight-point, five-rebound and two-steal effort on Friday in his Summer League debut with the Lakers.
Three games into his career in the NBA, he had this to say about his performances during a talk with the media:
“I just feel like I'm in a little slump right now.”
In his one stint at USC, Bronny James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games. He shot 36.6%, including 26.7% from deep in the Pac-12. These aren’t numbers that are good enough to begin with so the “slump” does not look out of the ordinary at all.
James’ agent Rich Paul said before the draft that he didn’t want his client on a two-way contract. Paul didn’t believe there was “real development” in that kind of setup. The Lakers gave him a four-year, $7.8 million contract but the deal does not hide the rookie’s need to improve significantly.
Bronny James’ numbers don’t back up his “slump” claims. He has been playing like this since his one-year stint with the Trojans. The South Bay Lakers beckons him to develop his skills.