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Bronny James is running through his first NBA preseason with the Los Angeles Lakers. To this point, he’s struggled mightily.
Across four games of action, the rookie ranks dead last in +/- among players eligible for the stat. The performance has led to an old tweet from his father, LeBron James, resurfacing in viral fashion.
In March of 2023, LeBron posted a message that read, “Man, Bronny’s definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching on league pass today. S— is lightweight hilarious.”
This came prior to Bronny’s stint as a USC Trojan, where he largely underperformed in comparison to expectation. Of course, he dealt with adversity from the jump in Los Angeles.
A preseason cardiac arrest nearly cost him his freshman season, but he battled back to see the floor in conference play. When he did return, many believe he was played out of position by head coach Andy Enfield due to a crowded guard room.
With the Trojans, he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds a night.
Despite the lacking production at the college level, James was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers. He saw his first NBA action in summer league, where he struggled with consistency.
Those issues have trickled into the preseason.
Bronny James has logged 44 minutes of action across four games. In that time, he’s scored four points on 12.5% shooting to go along with five turnovers.
Bronny preseason totals:
🧱 44 MINS
🧱 4 PTS
🧱 5 TOV
🧱 2-16 FG
🧱 0-7 3FG
🧱 -40 pic.twitter.com/Qb7C2wXf38— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) October 16, 2024
Viewers have taken note, and they haven’t forgotten what his father said!
While the struggles have been well-documented this preseason, there’s still time for Bronny James to grow. Head coach JJ Redick fully intends to work on the guard’s professional development.
Redick sees James as a role player should he maximize his potential.
Bronny remains positive on his NBA outlook. He said the following after his two-point performance against the Warriors.
“[I’m] just getting comfortable. Going out there and getting reps. That’s the most important thing, just to grow my confidence… I feel good. The numbers could be better, but I’ve just got to get my confidence up.”
-Bronny James
That said, the rookie still has a long way to go.