TL;DR
- Bronny James assigned to G-League by Los Angeles Lakers for development.
- James showed promise in first G-League game with 15 points and 8 assists.
- Struggled in second G-League game, shooting poorly and scoring only 7 points.
- Needs to improve shooting and expand skill set for NBA career.
Bronny James needs to demonstrate his abilities in the G-League prior to rejoining the NBA, as the Los Angeles Lakers felt it was most beneficial to assign the USC player to the developmental league for an unspecified duration.
James performed well in his first G-League game for The South Bay Lakers on Friday, scoring 15 points, dishing out eight assists, and grabbing four rebounds versus the Santa Cruz Warriors. He shot 50% from the floor and 40% from three-point range in their 115-95 win.
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.
His defining characteristic to date has been his strong on-ball defense, but this 6-foot-2 guard must broaden his skill set to establish a noteworthy NBA career.
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.
James's shooting form is smooth, but he frequently undershoots his jump shots and hesitates to take open three-pointers, worried about missing.
James's shooting percentages of 30.9% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range over 37 NBA games are utterly unacceptable by any standard.
Perhaps the 21-year-old’s G-League demotion will serve as a much-needed wake-up call.
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