Bronny

James

Bronny will travel with the Lakers on their upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6. After that, he’ll split time between the G League affiliate and the parent club. It’s not a surprising development, and it has no bearing on fantasy hoops. Bronny shouldn’t have been on fantasy rosters before this update.

Bronny’s early struggles seem to be behind him. His poor performance over his first four Summer League games was the trending topic of the sports world for a while, but he has now scored in double figures in two straight games on efficient shooting. As is the case with most rookies, early struggles aren’t indicative of a player’s entire career. It isn’t surprising that he is playing better already, but even if he continues to play this well, he isn’t a player to consider adding to your fantasy roster this season.

James’ cold streak in Las Vegas is over, as he hit two 3-pointers in Wednesday’s one-point victory. The second-round pick entered the game shooting 0-of-15 from beyond the arc, so seeing one fall during the first half had to be relieving. Bronny would hit another 3-pointer in the second half, but he played his best basketball of the summer in the first. Wednesday’s performance was a step in the right direction for James, who will require patience as he establishes himself as a professional.

James has not found his groove offensively, especially from beyond the arc. After going 0-of-3 on Monday, the rookie guard has missed his last 15 3-point attempts. Unfortunately, he failed to offer much value in other categories, tallying one assist and no steals or blocked shots. Most have known that James will be a more credible option for dynasty leagues than redraft formats, so his early struggles are unsurprising. Hopefully, he can develop his game at his own pace after an uneven freshman season at USC.

Bronny didn’t do much scoring in this game, but he was able to provide some defensive stats across his 29 minutes. He sat out on Sunday, which was the second night of a back-to-back, due to some swelling in his knee. However, it didn’t keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday. He will likely spend most of his rookie season in the G-League, but if this is what his numbers could look like in the future, he will be worth stashing in dynasty formats.

After logging 22 minutes in his Lakers summer debut on Saturday, James is being held out of Sunday’s matchup with the Warriors. This is considered a precautionary measure, and the Lakers expect Bronny to be available for Wednesday’s game against the Heat.

Bronny was part of the starting lineup on Saturday, sharing backcourt duties with undrafted rookie Sean East II. James didn’t have a good day shooting the basketball but stayed within himself and rarely forced the issue. He’ll be a work in progress throughout the summer, with the Lakers heading to Las Vegas after they play three games at the California Classic. James isn’t a player who will have much value in single-season leagues, but he’s worth taking a late-round flier on in deeper dynasty formats.

The son of one of the game’s all-time greats, James’ lone season at USC almost did not happen. A cardiac episode suffered during an offseason workout jeopardized his basketball career, but the 6-foot-2 guard was ultimately cleared to play. Bronny did not debut until December 10, and USC exercised caution with the 19-year-old as he worked his way back to full strength. Serving as a reserve for most of the season, James recorded modest stats but showed some of the upside that has scouts intrigued. He’s a solid playmaker with a high basketball IQ, and that also translates to how he reads the game defensively. Bronny will be teammates with his father, but fantasy managers should view the son as a better option for dynasty leagues than redrafts. He’ll need time to develop after a freshman season at USC that was anything but straightforward.