Bronny James may not be ready to be in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ rotation on a consistent basis yet, but he seems to be on a trajectory that will lead him to being ready for such a role not too long from now.
He averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game while shooting 38% from 3-point range during this past regular season in the G League. Last month, he put up 14.3 points on 47.6% overall shooting and 3.8 assists a game during the Las Vegas summer league.
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Lakers assistant coach Nate McMillan said something during an appearance on “The Sports Shop with Reese and K-Mac” that echoes what a few others have said lately. He said that he expects James to “possibly get some minutes” this coming season.
“I love Bronny. Great young man and we expect him to possibly get some minutes this year.”
McMillan said during the same appearance that James is a lot more confident than he was several months ago, and that it has resulted in him shooting the ball better from the perimeter. The 20-year-old didn’t hit from 3-point range during summer league play, but he was clearly more poised with the basketball in his hands.
If James does earn playing time this season, it would help the Lakers. They lack quality guard depth and could really use a legitimate 3-and-D guard who is a point-of-attack defender. That seems to be exactly the type of player James is becoming, and at least for now, his defense is the strongest aspect of his game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Nate McMillan: Bronny James will ‘possibly get minutes’ this season