Once again in great difficulty against the Warriors, Bronny James has multiplied his insipid performances since the start of the pre-season in the NBA. After four games, the Lakers rookie displays a distressing statistical record which confirms the fears surrounding his current level.
With only a few days left before the regular season resumes, the pre-season matches are coming at a frantic pace every evening. The intensity is not yet total, and this allows the rookies to have a first real contact with the elite of the NBA, three months after the introduction that the Summer League represented.
The bad memory of Summer League
This same Summer League did not smile on Bronny James at the time. In four games, he had posted a starving record of 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds on average in 25 minutes, all at catastrophic percentages (15% at three points, 35% overall). A few weeks later, the man who signed a 4-year contract with the Lakers was particularly expected during this pre-season.
Thus, on October 4, the James family made history against the Wolves because for the first time, a father and son stepped on an NBA floor, and on the same team. A moment “surrealist” for dad Lebron James, and during which the son distinguished himself.
In sixteen minutes of play, his defensive qualities were enhanced by 3 blocks, and made him forget for one evening his difficulties on the other side of the floor (2 points to 1/6 shooting).
Bronny James incapable de scorer
Since then, the blow has quickly subsided since the following three meetings were an absolute ordeal. Whether against the Suns, Bucks, or Warriors, his brief stints were cataclysmic. Over these four matches, where he had an average of 11 minutes of play, his record was starving, and his address was catastrophic: 1 point at 12.5% success (2/16), including 0% behind the arc (0/7) !
The figures are dizzying, especially since his 4 ball losses accumulated in 13 minutes against the Suns add grist to the detractors’ mill. Despite some interesting defensive sequences, Bronny James is undermined by this almost non-existent offensive production. Especially since his presence on the floor proves to be detrimental collectively.
Bronny James in 4 preseason games:
44 Minutes
4 Points
2-16 FG (12.5%)
0-7 3P
5 Turnovers pic.twitter.com/TI523CknlY— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) October 16, 2024
A presence on the floor harmful to the Lakers collective
In fact, the rear displays an alarming differential of -40 in 44 minutes of play ! Concretely, the Lakers lost a point per minute when he was on the court. If this statistic is not necessarily representative, it becomes so when it reaches such magnitude in such a short sample.
As the regular season prepares to begin, it’s hard to imagine JJ Redick giving playing time to a boy who hasn’t proven anything. We can therefore imagine that the last two pre-season games will be the last for a while for Bronny.
If the Lakers do not want to agree with DeMarcus Cousins, who does not “takes this team more seriously since Bronny arrived”we will have to decide straight away. The player had opened the door to the G-League, and this will undoubtedly be the best solution for everyone.
An avid follower of sport in the broad sense, I have shared my passion for around ten years regardless of the terrain! Basketball, ice hockey, cycling, shooting, fencing, I consume everything that presents itself with relish.
