Bronny James must prove himself in the G-League before returning to the NBA, as the Los Angeles Lakers believed it was in their best interest to send the USC product down to the minor leagues for an undisclosed period.
James was solid in his G-League season debut with the South Bay Lakers on Friday, recording 15 points, eight assists, and four rebounds against the Santa Cruz Warriors while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from downtown in a 115-95 victory.
However, James struggled mightily in the Lakers’ rematch vs. The Warriors on Sunday, finishing with seven points, eight assists, and three rebounds while only connecting on 27.2% of his field goals and 12.5% of his triples in a hard-fought 108-105 win.
The 6-foot-2 guard’s calling card thus far has been his physical on-ball defense, but he’ll need to expand his game if he wants to carve out a respectable NBA career for himself.
Having a non-existent perimeter jumper won’t improve an individual’s odds of surviving with the big dogs, which is what James is slowly beginning to discover.
Although James’ mechanics are fluid, he tends to leave his jumpers short and often refrains from attempting uncontested triples in fear of being off the mark.
James is shooting 30.9% from the field and 27.9% from long range through 37 NBA contests, which is simply unacceptable in every way imaginable.
Perhaps the 21-year-old’s G-League demotion will serve as a much-needed wake-up call.
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