Bronny James finished a strong first season in the G League. His play revealed potential to develop into an NBA rotation player.
Separating the name from the player is a tricky thing for any athlete, let alone the son of arguably the basketball GOAT.
The outpouring of love and hate for Bronny James, direct or indirect, loses context in light of the development he showed throughout the season in the G League and the improvements still yet to come.
A sold-out opener for South Bay marked a turbulent start to his season. The young guard appeared tentative, refusing to shoot when given space by defenders, either going under screens or being left open. Bronny seemed unsure of his overall floor game, committing five turnovers in the process.
In his first three games with South Bay, he missed all ten 3-pointers and shot just 10-34 (29%) overall from the field. Questions arose about whether he even belonged in the G-League, let alone on an NBA roster.
Those questions were quickly put to rest.
While initially slated to play only in home games, Bronny was soon sent on assignments to play on the road. In his first game away from home in mid-December, he scored 30 points on 13-23 shooting and 3-9 on 3-pointers.
From that point on, he was awarded the keys to the offense.
With only one season at USC and a chunk of that spent recovering from his cardiac event, a central question for the 55th overall pick was his jump shot, as he shot just 26% on 3-pointers during his college season.
As the G League season progressed, so did Bronny’s confidence. Emerging as South Bay’s primary ball handler, his 3-pointers were not just of the spot-up variety but were becoming increasingly challenging with off-the-bounce shots, utilizing screens and step-backs.
Watch in the clip below as the defender chooses to go under the screen, leaving the opportunity for the pull-up 3-pointer.
Below is another off-the-bounce three, this time in straight isolation.
The shot above is one he would not even have considered taking earlier in the year. Even though it is against lesser competition, the most important thing is that these are NBA-level shots he’s taking and making in high volume and with efficiency.
As with most guards sent down for development, the light could not be greener. He finished the G League season shooting 38% from beyond the arc on over eight attempts per game.
Standing at 6’3”, there are other necessary skills to succeed in the league, one of which is the in-between game. Floaters and mid-range pull-ups are essential for any undersized player.
Bronny developed great chemistry with two-way big Christian Koloko. They ran heavy pick and rolls, using his screens to get to the floater area, as demonstrated below.
The floater turned into a patented shot for Bronny, as defenses parked at the rim waiting for his drive.
The outside jumper becoming a threat increased his driving rate, enabling him to attack closeouts and withstand full-court ball pressure. He utilized the athletic gifts that come with being a member of the James family for tough finishes, along with some impressive dunks.
Watch below as he drives for a thunderous one-handed slam through the contact.
South Bay would consistently even run lob plays specifically for Bronny out of timeouts.
That’s right, lobs to their 6’3” point guard.
Defensively, he got after it on the perimeter. As with most 20-year-old guards, he has significant improvements to make in reads and discipline on his defensive gambles, but overall contributed as a robust player, creating problems for opposing offenses.
He finished with 1.9 steals per game, second behind only fellow guard Jordan Goodwin, who eventually was converted to a standard contract.
The play with the parent team was a struggle at first as the garbage-time minutes led to quick shots in what appeared to be hopes of appeasing a hungry crowd chanting his name in every arena.
Bronny missed his first nine 3-pointers, but finished the regular season 9-23 (39%), looking more comfortable as the year concluded.
He finished the G League with averages of 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Many times, looking “too good” to play there, which is all you want from the 55th overall selection.
That play earned him more minutes with the big team, culminating in a home game against Milwaukee, during which he had the best game of his young career. Stepping in after many of the Lakers‘ regular rotation players sat out, he scored 17 points and provided five assists in 30 minutes off the bench.
The minutes with the Lakers rarely looked pretty, as there are still many areas in which he needs to improve: adjusting to the league physically against more athletic defenders, creating enough space at 6’3” for his shot and improving the reads as a passer to be an NBA-level point guard are real concerns.
With that being said, the performance in the G League shows there is a legitimate foundation to build on and improve going into next season.
You can follow Raj on Twitter at @RajChipalu.