For the second straight NBA Summer League, Bronny James has brought more attention and fanfare than almost any other player. A tangible electricity permeated the arena whenever James touched the basketball. After a promising rookie campaign in the G League, the 2024 NBA Draft’s 55th pick showcased his improvement in Las Vegas over the weekend.Â
Through three Las Vegas Summer League games, James is averaging 13 points (44.8 percent from the floor), 3.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. It marks a significant improvement from his rookie Summer League, when he averaged 8.8 points per game while shooting a frigid 35 percent from the field.
How James Has Improved Offensively
James’s largest area of growth comes on the ball, where he’s become far more comfortable handling since his time in college and high school. He especially showcased his improved dribbling and creation chops against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 17 points on 10 shots while dishing out five assists.
Although James isn’t ever going to create shots like a star guard, he’s capable of running offense against Summer League competition. His ball control against pressure particularly stood out, allowing him to score at the basket, find shots off the dribble and create easy chances for teammates.
bronny james created shots impressively against the clippers, showcasing his improved ball control and creativity as a dribbler
great to see him continue to look more comfortable as a creator, which bodes well for him eventually scaling down offensively at the NBA level pic.twitter.com/faPcqycUGs
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) July 15, 2025
Impressive outside shooting fuels James’s projection as a versatile off-guard at the NBA level. He’s only made 31.3 percent of his 3-point attempts in Vegas so far, but James’s on-ball role could be depressing his outside shooting. Across 11 regular season G League games last season, James made 38 percent of his 8.4 attempts per game.
What James’ Summer League Performance Could Mean Moving Forward
James’s Summer League role reflects his G League role more than his projected NBA role. He posted a fairly high 26.5 percent usage rate with the South Bay Lakers last year while maintaining solid efficiency (58.8 percent true shooting). Playing next to Luka Doncic will feed James plenty of open shots, but just 38.8 percent of his made field goals in the G League were assisted.
Without access to Summer League usage stats, it appears James has continued his on-ball load from the G League. At times, James has still struggled to imprint himself on the game, especially against the New Orleans Pelicans, and often let offense come to him. Even considering his on-ball improvement, James still isn’t a natural creator.
Though most will focus on his offensive creation, his feisty on-ball defense continues to impress. He hasn’t created as many turnovers through three games as he did in the G League (1.9 steals per game), though that could be attributed to an increased workload offensively.Â
In a setting where all eyes sit squarely on him, he’s impressively balanced scoring aggression and connectivity. James ranks fourth on the Lakers in field goal attempts, taking fewer shots than Dalton Knecht, Cole Swider and DJ Steward, though his offensive impact has arguably eclipsed all three of them.
The 20-year-old James still may not be ready for NBA minutes in 2025-26. That’s just fine, especially for a late second-round pick who showed promise in the G League as a rookie. We’ll see if James can crack Los Angeles’s rotation this season, building on his impressive sophomore Summer League start.
