Bronny James is heading into his rookie NBA season with heavy expectations from him despite his status as a late second-round pick. Bronny has hype by virtue of being LeBron James' son, with former LeBron teammate Udonis Haslem backing Bronny to have a Jrue Holiday-esque impact on the Los Angeles Lakers this season with his defensive intensity in the latest episode of Haslem's 'The OGs Show' Podcast.
“He’s done a great job of just quieting the noise and focusing on the things he can control. When he speaks, he makes specific points that show he's mature enough to understand his position. When he speaks, he talks about being a Jrue Holiday type of guy."
"These guys aren't necessarily the top scorer on their team, but they're guys you can't win without. Your Swiss Army Knife guys... They can blow up a whole play, so if he can come in & make an impact like that and he builds with that, I'm looking at him to do good things."
Many basketball players with this mindset haven't made it to the NBA level, but Bronny will get something those other players likely won't, which is opportunity. James is expected to play a role for the Lakers this season, at least to open the year.
He isn't coming off a good year with the USC Trojans, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists on 36.3% from the field and 26.7% from three. in his only college season.
His struggles there are one of the primary reasons behind his low Draft status, but that could help the Lakers if Bronny develops into a playable NBA asset. It's rare for 55th picks to advance enough to have a multi-year career in the NBA, so Bronny is already pushing up against tough odds.
Bronny doesn't have the same frame as Jrue Holiday, who has catered his style of play to be a defensive menace. Holiday was making All-Star teams in 2009 when he was allowed to be a primary offensive option, so we can't necessarily project Bronny to come into the NBA with the same level of skill a rookie Holiday did.
Nonetheless, if Bronny commits to being an on-ball defender with average offense and the ability to stretch the floor, he'll be a valuable player for almost any NBA organization.
Bronny Expected To Debut On Opening Night
In what is a rarity for late second-round picks, Bronny is expected to play during the Los Angeles Lakers season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22. This was confirmed by Zach Lowe in a conversation with Bill Simmons, as the veteran ESPN analyst went so far as to say Bronny's involvement is 100% guaranteed.
“He’s 100% playing in the game so they can have a moment together. That's gonna happen. So they pass to each other or whatever it ends up being."
LeBron and Bronny will become the first father-son duo to play in the league at the same time as each other, let alone on the same franchise. Having the pair share the floor together would be a priceless NBA moment, although it might not translate into regular minutes for a development prospect like Bronny on a franchise that hopes to make a Playoff run.
