Bronny James is featuring in the Summer League for the Los Angeles Lakers but LeBron James made it clear that it doesn’t matter how well he plays in it. During James’ press conference at training camp for the 2024 Olympics, he spoke about what he hopes the next couple of weeks are like for his son.
“I just hope (he) just gets his feet wet in the NBA — the pace of the game, the speed of the game, the physicality of the game,” James said. “But what he does in the California Classic and Summer League, it doesn’t matter if he plays well and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well.
“I just want him to continue to grow. Practices, film sessions, his individual workouts,” James continued. “You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it once the season starts. The only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days.
“He missed a big part of the season last year because of the incident less than a year ago,” James added. “So, he’s behind as far as where he would have been if he would have played a full season obviously.”
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It was on July 24, 2023, that Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice session at USC. While the 19-year-old was able to make his collegiate debut just under five months later, it is understandable that the incident has affected his progression.
That was one of the reasons why many wanted Bronny to stay another year in college but he decided against it. The teenager entered the 2024 NBA Draft and the Lakers selected him with the 55th pick.
Bronny finally made his Lakers debut in the California Classic against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday but it certainly wasn’t an outing to remember. He recorded 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, and shot 2-9 from the field as the Lakers lost 108-94.
I don’t expect Bronny to put up big numbers in the Summer League, but I would hope he plays better moving forward. As LeBron correctly stated, the stats put up in these leagues don’t really matter, but you’d want to see some more promising signs.
Bronny James On What Are The Areas Of Focus For Him
While Bronny’s debut didn’t go quite as well as he would have liked, he isn’t feeling too down at the moment. James spoke about the areas of focus for him after his Summer League debut.
“Just being aggressive, believing in myself. Knowing that I can make plays for myself and my teammates. On the defensive end, just staying solid and playing my game on the defensive end, especially because I believe I know how to play on the defensive end. Just staying to my roots and believing in myself out there,” said Bronny. “Every first game that I step out there on the next level will be butterflies in my stomach but as soon as the ball tips and we go a couple of times down, it all goes away. The [nerves] are always gonna be there, but I’ll get through it.”
Having that belief in himself is going to be key for Bronny, as there are going to be growing pains. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him as well whenever he steps out onto the court and he will have to deal with it well, in order to succeed.
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