“Want to see Bronny with the big dogs”- NBA analyst gives leeway to Bronny James amid mediocre Summer League outings
LeBron James' son, Bronny James, played in two Summer League games for the LA Lakers at the California Classic over the past week. In his first outing, James struggled to find his rhythm on both ends of the floor before being kept out of the second leg of a back-to-back as he dealt with swelling in his knee. Despite that, he was then back in action on Wednesday when the Lakers faced the Heat.
There, despite he and the LA Lakers giving up a late-game comeback to Miami, he showcased some impressive defensive skills, finishing the game with three blocks and two steals over 29 minutes.
While speaking on Thursday's episode of Undisputed, NFL veteran turned analyst Keyshawn Johnson opened up about the situation. As he explained, the level of competition between the Summer League and the regular season pales in comparison.
As a result, he wants to see Bronny James compete with the quote-unquote big dogs at the NBA level rather than playing against fellow up-and-comers in the Summer League.
"I just want to see him with the big dogs. That's all. I don't know what this is. This is pick up basketball to me. That's what it is. Because everybody trying to get their shot off. ... So it's all that jockeying for position going on right now.
"When you get with the big dogs, there's a pecking order, and it's already set up. And when you slide him in there, let's see what that is with his dad and everybody else involved and what type of player he could be."
Looking at Bronny James' stats from his first two summer league games, and what's next for second-generation hooper
So far, Bronny James has played in just two games for the LA Lakers as part of the California Classic leg of the NBA Summer League.
In his first game with the team, James finished with just four points on 2-9 shooting, including 0-3 from beyond the arc. At the same time, he logged just two rebounds and two assists during the game.
The numbers appear to mirror Bronny James' averages at USC the year before, where he averaged just 4.8 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. Despite then sitting out the team's second California Classic game, James returned to action on Wednesday when the Lakers played the Miami Heat.
There, Bronny James logged three points on 1-3 shooting while adding five rebounds and two assists to the box score. In addition, he also hit his stride defensively, recording two steals and three blocks in the team's loss.
After wrapping up the California Classic, the LA Lakers will be back in action on Friday when they compete against the Houston Rockets in their first game of the Las Vegas NBA 2k25 Summer League.