The truth about Bronny James

Bronny James. The son of maybe the greatest player of all time, LeBron James. That's some tough shoes to fill. It's like basketball gods setting you up for failure (see Michael Jordan's son).

What's the case with Bronny James? Ever since he was drafted by the Lakers, almost everyone slacks him for his lack of talent. 

Technically, Bronny hasn't played a single minute in an official NBA game. We saw a glimpse of him in the summer league and to be honest, he was average at best. 

Is all the hate justified? I don't think so. Bronny has some very important tools that many scouts are looking up in a young player and many teams can use.

Advantages

I have watched many Bronny James games, dating back to his Sierra Canyon days to his NCAA stint with USC and his NBA summer league. Here's what Bronny James excels at:

Defense

A successful team always starts from defense. Bronny James excels in that end of the court and for a second-round pick, that's a key to get out of bench warming! 

Bronny has great defensive instincts and understanding the defensive lanes. His athleticism and concentration helps him in locking down his opponents. Just take a look at this clip from summer league! 

Passing and Court vision

Like father like son, they say. Bronny James inherited from his dad the passing and court vision which is so important for a young player nowadays. 

James's unselfishness creates a strong case for him to succeed in NBA level. Of course, he still needs to improve at it but the bright side is that he already has this ability. 

Athletic ability

Did you know that Bronny James has a 40.5-inch vertical leap? That's higher that one of the most athletic point guards of all time, Derrick Rose.

Bronny's amazing quick first step gives him an advantage over the competition. Being a great athlete in the most spectacular league is quite important.

We still need work...

Let's be honest. Bronny James is not an NBA ready material but more of a raw talent. His NCAA stats are not spectacular by any means. He still needs to improve in a lot of areas before he can contribute to a team.

Shooting

Bronny James's numbers shooting the 3, isn't what you expect from an undersized guard. A 27% 3PT percentage in his one and done college season doesn't raise any eyebrows. Bronny needs to improve his shooting if he wants to succeed in NBA level.

Ball handling and dribbling

As I saw, from his USC days, Bronny has trouble creating space using his dribble. His ball handling skills are still at a raw level. Being 6'2 without sufficient ball handling is a huge problem in the NBA and not only.

What's next for Bronny?

As you already know from this article, Bronny James is not ready to compete at high level. But he has some useful skills, he can work on.

At 19 years of age with raw talent, Bronny has a chance to become a great 2-way player or a 3 and D guy. Scouts are hunting for those type of players.

Of course, Lakers have to be patient. Bronny is not going to contribute in day one but given the time, he can become a decent role player with many tricks up on his sleeve.

My comparison? Tony Allen with a shot. Any chances to become a superstar? Slim at best but I'd love to see myself wrong on this one! Only time will tell.