Despite the immense pressure scrutiny Bronny James has faced, he hasn’t let it get to him. The 6-foot-2 guard has looked tremendous for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2025 NBA Summer League. His production suggests that he is capable of receiving an increased role on the main roster. NBA legend Dwyane Wade, however, believes people should slow down on their expectations of Bronny.
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Bronny only played in 27 games during his rookie season. It is hard to gauge him as a player in those games since he played an average of just 6.7 minutes. When he did get minutes in the G-League, however, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
So far in the 2025 NBA Summer League, Bronny looks like a much more complete player. In 24 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers, Bronny finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Most importantly, he looked extremely comfortable on the court.
This improvement is a testament to Bronny’s work ethic and patience, along with those who are around him.
“I think what Klutch has done, what Rich has done, what his father has done is they haven’t rushed his process,” Wade said on Time Out.
On the other hand, Wade believes the public has seen what Bronny has done in the Summer League and is trying to rush him. “Bronny doesn’t need to be a rotation player for the Lakers right now,” Wade proclaimed. “He needs to keep developing.”
Wade may have burst onto the scene as an elite player in his youthful years, but he has also been around players who didn’t. He has seen players who should’ve had more time to develop but didn’t receive that opportunity.
Performing in the Summer League is much different than performing in a regular season game. In Bronny’s defense, he has shown flashes of aspects of his play that have a high chance of transferring. His defense has been quite the standout, especially in his duel against 2025 top overall pick Cooper Flagg.
“He’s developing so fast in front of our eyes, it’s not a slow development,” Wade said. “But stop putting pressure on him that he needs to be a rotation player. He’s doing an incredible job of putting the work in.”
Dwyane Wade doesn’t want people to use this year as a measuring stick for Bronny’s career. Lakers head coach JJ Redick will certainly give Bronny more minutes in the upcoming 2025-26 season. If the 20-year-old blossoms into a rotational player this season, then amazing. If he doesn’t, that’s okay too. He still has a bright future ahead of him in the NBA.
