Skip Bayless expresses concerns over Bronny James after he fails to pass his 'soul test'
Veteran analyst Skip Bayless gave an early verdict on Bronny James after the young guard played his first three games in Summer League events. The FS1 journalist has been known for his blunt takes about LeBron James, but this time, he's keeping his faith in The King's first son as he starts his NBA journey.
During Monday's edition of Undisputed, Bayless explained what he's watched from Bronny James so far, lauding him for how he manages himself despite constantly being under the spotlight.
"I'm watching and my bar is set way lower for him right now because ... it's the Summer League. But, just eye test and then I kinda soul test. What's deep down? What's that little voice deep down inside you saying to you as you watch him play?
"And I'm not expecting a whole lot. I'm just looking for the ABCs of it, the fundamentals of it and what's your biggest takeaway as you watch him move up and down the floor."
Bayless explained that Bronny doesn't seem to be giving his all on the court, lacking aggressiveness on both ends of the ball:
"My biggest takeaway so far in three games, small sample size, is, he's not playing as hard as I thought he was gonna play. I don't see it all out from him every play. I don't see anything on offense at all, he doesn't initiate much at all. ...
"I still believe he's made really strong stuff where he belongs to the NBA. There's plays on defense when he doesn't go as hard, ... he is just not engaged and locked in."
Lakers Summer League HC foresees a long career for Bronny James
Given his early struggles in the Summer League, Bronny James has been mentioned as a potential candidate to join the G League to start his career. LA Lakers Summer League head coach Dane Johnson said that James is only getting started but he will have a long NBA career.
"Shoot, he's going to have a long career," Johnson said (per ESPN). "This is just the beginning. We just keep instilling [confidence], keep that in their heads. So we've got a long way to go."
Johnson added that James and other draftees will be in the G League at some point, but he doesn't know for how long they'll be there.
"I don't know about that yet, so I can't really comment on that," Johnson said. "But I think all these guys are going to be in the G League at some point — the draftees."
Bronny James has expressed that he's not paying attention to the external comments while he's ready to do anything to improve his game.