
NBA Analysts Reveal Honest Opinions On Bronny James In The G-League: Scouts Are Not Impressed

With Bronny James spending time with the Los Angeles Lakers’ G-League team, the hope has been that he develops better. But it appears that hasn’t necessarily been the case. NBA analysts Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo spoke to ESPN about Bronny James’ development. Marks noted that while Bronny looks more comfortable with the ball in his hand, his inefficiency and weakness has cost him greatly.
“You could tell in the two G League games in Orlando that James is more comfortable than what we saw last season at USC and in the summer. The Lakers made it a priority to play James more at point guard and less off the ball, and the results were mixed.”
“The good from James includes the 12 assists in the two games, including five during a three-minute stretch. The bad? How about 12 turnovers? Because he is playing more point, James tired in the fourth quarter of the first game. Besides not scoring, James committed three fouls and two turnovers.”
“‘The best thing for Bronny James moving forward is getting repetitions in-game settings with South Bay, not traveling with the Lakers on the road’, an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN.”
As for Jeremy Woo, he noted that the reputation of Bronny James among scouts has not improved. He is still considered a player who can make a positive impact, but not one who can develop into a high-level player. And opposition team scouts in the G-League have noticed his weaknesses and zeroed in on them during games.
“Scouts I’ve spoken with view James much the same way they did during the predraft process: He’s an unselfish player capable of making a positive impact at the G League level, but also not one with tremendous developmental upside. It looks like James has added strength, but he hasn’t been particularly efficient this season and has struggled to control his turnovers.”
“The scouting report remains the same – opposing scouts know what to expect from James but largely aren’t enamored by his long-term outlook. Nobody I spoke with at the Showcase changed their tune. There’s plenty of time for James to improve, but at this point, he remains more valuable to the Lakers than to any of the other 29 teams.”
During his time with the South Bay Lakers, Bronny has averaged 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 37.4% from the field, 21.2% from the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free-throw line. Disappointingly, James is showing he isn’t solid in possession, averaging 3.0 turnovers per game.
His best game in the G-League came against the Valley Suns, as he put up 30 points (13-23 FG), three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. LeBron James was thrilled with his son’s performance, praising him after the game.
While Bronny’s confidence may have grown in the G-League, he is still struggling to be an offensively efficient player.
The Lakers will assess his stint in the G-League so far, and hopefully adapt his development plan. It is clear that he needs more work on the offensive end of the court, specifically with his scoring.
For now, he has made his return to the Lakers for their game tonight against the Detroit Pistons. As of the time of writing, Bronny hasn’t checked into the game, and is unlikely to, unless the Lakers seal the game ahead of time, and can afford to have Bronny play some minutes in garbage time.
