NBA: Lakers shut down Bronny James after promising performances

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 18: Bronny James Jr. #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers prepares to inbound the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of the second half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lakers defeated the Cavaliers 93-89. Candice Ward/Getty Images/AFP

LAS VEGAS — Bronny James was a spectator on Saturday after the Los Angeles Lakers determined that they have seen all they need out of the NBA’s most talked-about rookie.

He finished the NBA Summer League on an upward trajectory after a dismal start, scoring 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting over his final two games. That included making 3 of 8 baskets from 3-point range after going 0 for 15 in his first four games.

“He had two pretty good games last two,” Lakers Summer League coach Dane Johnson said. “I think it’s just going to help him going into the summer so we can work on different things with him. Just that confidence and knowing he can play at this level. It’s still going to take a lot of time and a lot of reps.”

READ: Lakers’ Bronny James continues promising play in NBA Summer League

Some fans were disappointed that the Lakers kept James on the bench, briefly breaking out a chant of “We want Bronny” in the first quarter of Saturday’s 107-81 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

In Summer League stints in San Francisco and then Las Vegas, the son of NBA career-scoring leader LeBron James opened shooting 7 for 31 overall. That fueled talk — or reinforced the notion — the Lakers had wasted their 55th pick as a favor to the face of the franchise.

The younger James quieted at least some of that talk with his performances Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks and the following night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“In general, he doesn’t let any of that stuff get to him,” Johnson said. “He just wants to play basketball and be on a team. He’s a good kid. He’s listening. He’s trying to learn.”

There is still plenty to learn.

At 6-foot-2, James has the build of a point guard, but he doesn’t bring the ball up the court because of concerns about his ballhandling. He instead has played shooting guard, which could be a problem when going against taller players at that position.

READ: Bronny James struggles, Lakers lose to Celtics at NBA Summer League

“I think right now he’s more of a (shooting guard), but I think he could be a combo-ish,” Johnson said. “He picks up stuff really well. We throw stuff at him — plays, coverages, defensively. He kind of picks it up really quick, so I think he could potentially be (a point guard). Maybe we’ll work on that in the summer, but I think right now being that secondary playmaker is kind of where he’s at right now.”

James also has to show he can be a consistent perimeter shooter, and two promising games to end the summer won’t quell all the worries.

The Lakers likely will try to bring him along slowly, giving James a chance to work out some of the kinks in the G League. But the Summer League fan favorite also will get his chances with the big club, and one of the NBA’s most historic franchises knows the buzz James will generate when he gets called up.

No father-and-son duo has ever taken the court at the same time for an NBA game, and it’s rare for any major North American sport.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. shared the same Major League Baseball field in 1990 and 1991 with the Seattle Mariners. In the 1970s and ’80s, hockey legend Gordie Howe played with sons Marty and Mark with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.

The fact the James family will join that list is something it won’t take for granted after Bronny’s health scare last summer. He went into cardiac arrest during a workout at the University of Southern California. James underwent surgery to fix what was diagnosed as a congenital heart defect, causing him to miss the beginning of the Trojans’ season.

He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his one college season, opting to declare for the NBA draft rather than return to USC.