Given the level of scrutiny Bronny James was under as the son of one of the greatest players of all time, surviving his first year as a pro was an accomplishment in and of itself. There were distractions at every turn, from talking heads crying nepotism and trashing him after every cold shooting performance, to fighting for scraps in the Lakers rotation while bouncing back and forth between the G League and the NBA.
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Bronny showed some fleeting glimpses during his rookie season of being a prospect who could turn into a real player, and his first chance to make a second impression began with his 2025 Summer League debut last night.
Journeyman forward Cole Swider stole the show with 20 points against the Heat, but Bronny had his moments as well, the best of which was a steal and breakaway slam in the first minute of the game.
With Dorian Finney-Smith gone to Houston, there’s an opening in JJ Redick’s rotation that didn’t exist after the Lakers traded for the 3-and-D specialist in late December last year. Could Bronny find a way to take some of that playing time for himself? On FS1’s Speak, Paul Pierce outlined how he could do it.
“As much as I like Bronny and how he’s improved over the year, to be a rotation player being that you’re a 6’1′, 6’2″ guard, he has to show me that he can do one thing great,” Pierce said.
“I heard him say that he has to be a terror on the defensive side of the ball,” the Truth continued. “Now if he can show that, to where he can be a lockdown defender [like someone like Pat Beverley], that’s what Bronny has to do … That’s one thing I’ma be watching this summer, to see how intense he plays on the defensive end, picking up full court, causing havoc on that end.”
Just as the Lakers filled a hole in their roster by signing Deandre Ayton to be their new starting center, Pierce believes that Bronny has a chance to fill the void left by Finney-Smith as a lockdown perimeter defender.
“If he can do that, then he can find a spot in this Lakers rotation,” Pierce said. “Because when I’m looking at it, they need young energy. Not a lot of defensive presence on this team. We don’t look at Knecht as a defensive player. Reaves, Luka, they need some defensive presence, and if he can do that this summer and improve in that area, he can crack the lineup.”
This seems like a reasonable goal for Pierce to set for a second-year player who’s trying to find his way. It’s akin to a football player who makes the team for his willingness to do the dirty work on special teams.
Bronny needs to find a way to make himself valuable, and given the Lakers’ great need for defensive help, that’s the one area where he has the best chance to make his mark.
He got off to a good start in his first Summer League game, and he’ll try to continue that momentum when the Lakers take on the Spurs tonight.
