After spending the first nine games of the season with the Lakers, guard Bronny James was sent down to the G-League to get consistent playing time and to work on his game. He made his debut for the South Bay Lakers on Saturday and finished with six points, three rebounds, and four assists on 22% shooting from the field. Although he struggled on the offensive end, his defense helped propel his team to a 110-96 victory over the Salt Lake City Stars.
Bronny’s shooting needs a lot of work, but his overall impact was impressive. The guard understands he’ll likely never be a volume shooter and will instead have to focus on his defense and three-point shooting to have a long NBA career. He has already admitted he wants to be an elite role player like Celtics stars Jrue Holiday and Derrick White and is actively working towards it.
However, they are among the most impactful players in the league and Bronny has a long way to go before being remotely as good as them. He’ll have to focus on four key aspects of the game to get to their level. Keep working on his defense Bronny’s most enticing skill is his defensive ability.
He is a pesky on-ball defender, who is willing to guard opposing guards 94 feet. At 6-foot-2 and 210 lbs, Bronny is a great defender for his size. He’s just about the average height for a point guard, which is 6-foot-2 1⁄2.
However, he lacks in the size department, especially compared to elite defensive guards. In the few minutes that James played for the L.