Bronny James has been one of the most talked-about second-round picks in the history of the NBA. Despite being selected with the fourth-to-last pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, he has dominated the public conversation at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, regardless of whether he performs well or not for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 19-year-old rookie made immediate headlines when he struggled in his three California Classic games and his first two Las Vegas Summer League games. Critics were quick to decree that James is not an NBA-level talent. But he has put together two good performances in a row, and things appear to be on the upswing for the former USC guard.
James posted 13 points with five rebounds and three assists on Thursday night. It was his best overall outing of Summer League and garnered great attention after the struggles he faced. And he was celebrated after by being gifted a custom rug, via the Lakers:
This is incredible 👏👏
🎨: @112Rugs pic.twitter.com/WaCCpeTSFz
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 19, 2024
Created by 112 Made Rugs, this extremely lifelike depiction of James in rug form is the first viral piece of work made by this company. It only serves to prove exactly how much hype James has, as it’s rare to see a second-round draft pick receive this level of attention and adoration at Summer League.
Of course, none of this seems to be affecting James or the work he’s putting in to be successful. One thing that his father, LeBron James, praised the most about him is that he could have easily taken the path of least resistance given the situation he grew up in.
Instead, Bronny chose to put in the work required to make it to the NBA. And that isn’t going to stop now that he’s here. And while he may get some special treatment like this at times, he is going to keep his head down and focus on the work ahead of him.
Bronny James comes up clutch in Thursday’s win
Bronny James broke out of his shooting slump against Atlanta and managed to keep the momentum going against Cleveland. James looked much more asserting with the basketball in his hands, looking for his own shot in certain cases instead of deferring to teammates.
James had a couple of crafty finishes at the rim, including a lefty scoop layup that drew a reaction from the crowd. However, his biggest play of the night came midway through the fourth quarter when he buried a stepback 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead.
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