NBA (DR)

Scrutinized closely for his first appearances in the colors of the Lakers, Bronny James experienced a very trying Summer League on a mental level. This last one now over, his coach drew up a big assessment concerning him.

Things probably couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for him in his NBA career . Already surrounded by major doubts after his selection as the 55th overall pick in the Draft by the Lakers, Bronny James didn’t help his case on the Summer League courts. His first steps taken in the California Classic were indeed not very exciting… without completely ruining his self-confidence.

Bronny James’ Coach Gets Straight About Him

Aware of the difficulties he had in his debut with the Lakers , Bronny fortunately managed to turn things around. Indeed, he finished the Las Vegas Summer League in an interesting way, ultimately posting averages of 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in his four games played there. When asked about him at a press conference, his coach Dane Johnson was relatively satisfied:

Dane Johnson: His last two games have been pretty good. I think that’s going to help him as we go through the rest of the summer working on different things with him. It probably gave him a confidence boost to see that he can play at this level. That said, we’re still going to have to give him some time.

The regular coach of the South Bay Lakers in the G-League also wanted to emphasize the mental strength of his young guard, remarkable at his age and given the treatment he received:

Dane Johnson: Overall, he doesn’t let all that stuff affect him. He just wants to play basketball and be a part of the team. He’s a good kid. He listens to what he’s told and he tries to learn.

A good omen for the rest of his career in the Angelino ranks, where certain points concerning him remain to be clarified.

Starting with the position he’ll occupy if he were to be used by JJ Redick in the coming months. At just 6’2″, Bronny is more of a point guard, but wouldn’t necessarily be destined to be used that way according to Johnson:

Dane Johnson: I think right now he’s more of a No. 2, but I think he could play anywhere in the backcourt.

He’s a good pick-me-up. You throw a lot of stuff at him — systems, defensive coverages — and he’s able to pick it up pretty quickly, so I think he could be a playmaker. Maybe we’ll work on that this summer, but I think as it stands, he’s more comfortable playing as a secondary playmaker on the field.

https://youtu.be/zKZll-8On3U

Despite his poor showing at the start of the Summer League, Bronny James has finally managed to earn the praise of his coach, Dane Johnson. It remains to be seen whether he can do the same with JJ Redick during the upcoming NBA season.