Bronny James struggled in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday. James missed all five shots he took against the 76ers and thanks to all those misses, he is now shooting just 6.3% from the field in his NBA career.
James has gone 1-16 from the field and 0-7 from beyond the arc for the Lakers in 2024-25. The 20-year-old can’t seem to get a shot to go down and while he previously had the excuse of not playing significant minutes in games to get in rhythm, that wasn’t the case on Tuesday.
James, the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, was on the court for 15 minutes against the 76ers and that was by far his most in a game for the Lakers this season. It was a rare opportunity to impress but he wasn’t able to take advantage of it, finishing with three rebounds, one assist, and one block.
While James’ shot seems to desert him when he’s playing in the NBA, he is able to hit them in the G League. The youngster struggled in his early days with the South Bay Lakers in the Tip-Off Tournament but has found his footing now.
James is averaging 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in the regular season for South Bay. He has been fairly efficient too, shooting 43,4% from the field and 45.8% from beyond the arc (on 8.0 attempts per game).
It’s unrealistic to expect James to put up those averages in the NBA, but you’d want to see him make some shots. The level of competition is much higher but it’s not that big of a leap to the point where the former USC guard can’t even make a basket when given an extended run on the court.
After this game against the 76ers, Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated he felt James didn’t play well but admitted he put the rookie in a difficult position by having him guard Tyrese Maxey.
“Just felt like on a back-to-back, just him giving us energy was the goal. I put him in a tough spot, flying out yesterday, nationally televised game, in Philly, all that stuff. He didn’t play well. He’s been playing great in the G (League), so I have confidence in him. But obviously, he didn’t provide that at a high level.”
James’ recent displays in the G League do give you a reason to be confident about him despite the poor showing against the 76ers. The rookie also stated postgame that the time he has spent in the developmental league has helped him be more ready for the NBA.
“I feel like I’m a lot more prepared now,” Bronny said. “Again, just coming out and staying ready after the G-League stint and the season being down the road a little bit more. Just staying ready, coming in, and playing smart.”
James should get more and more comfortable with time. The Lakers are going to give him every opportunity to succeed and he needs to take advantage of that. James might be in action next when the 26-19 Lakers take on the 6-39 Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Thursday at 7 PM ET.
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