Tons of attention was focused on Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James during summer league play in July. The son of future Hall of Famer LeBron James delivered mixed results there, but he ended on a good note, providing a bit of hope that he can meet at least some of the hype surrounding him.
Plenty have been skeptical about the younger James, based on some seemingly limited skills he has and his struggles as a freshman at the University of Southern California last season. But he reportedly has a good attitude and seems to be coachable.
Dane Johnson, the Lakers’ summer league head coach, said that the way the younger James finished summer league play will help him out moving forward.
Via Associated Press:
“He had two pretty good games last two,” 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.”
The coach said he has been trying to ignore all the outside noise, especially the noise coming from critics, and focus on his craft.
“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.”
One concern about the younger James is the fact that based on his skill set, he projects as a shooting guard in the NBA, yet he was measured at just over 6-foot-1 during the draft combine a few months ago. But Johnson feels he can improve his lead guard skills.
“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.”
Another big key for him will be consistently hitting outside shots, both off the bounce and in catch-and-shoot situations.
If the 19-year-old will become a serviceable or good NBA player, it will take time. One has to remember he lost a few months of his burgeoning basketball journey last summer when he suffered a cardiac arrest episode, which forced him to put basketball on the back burner for a little while.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers summer league head coach Dane Johnson on Bronny James’ development
