Lakers' Bronny James takes big step in NBA future with summer moments

Billy Heyen

Lakers' Bronny James takes big step in NBA future with summer moments image

This was an important month for Bronny James.

With a year in the NBA and G League under his belt, the Los Angeles Lakers' second-year guard was supposed to look in control at Summer League.

For the most part, that's exactly what Bronny did.

The Orange County Register's Khobi Price broke down Bronny's play further:

The son of franchise star LeBron James returned to Las Vegas a more confident and assured version of himself compared with last summer.

More excited than nervous compared to last year, as he put it.

His development over the past 13 months was on display in the six games he played in – the two in the California Classic and four in Las Vegas. And his growth after a year inside the Lakers organization was on display.

James, 20, averaged 11.5 points (44.4% shooting), 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and a steal in his six summer league games (20.4 minutes).

He was even more efficient and productive in Las Vegas, averaging 14.2 points (47.6% shooting), 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes.

The 6-foot-3 James prioritized his conditioning and embracing physicality in his work before summer league, and it showed.

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The shooting could end up being Bronny's swing skill. He made just 29.6% of his 3s in Summer League.

If Bronny doesn't get better from 3, his ceiling is likely as a high-energy bench piece with a bit of creation ability.

But if the 3-point shot ever comes around, Bronny has an outside shot to grow into an NBA starter. This summer was a step in the right direction in the big picture.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle