EXCLUSIVE:Can Bronny James Reach the Competitive Level of the NBA?

The Lakers’ second-round pick has his flaws on display at Summer League, but there also are flashes of upside that could portend future pro productivity.After a week’s worth of NBA Summer League play stretching between Sacramento and Las Vegas, the basketball world has come to the shocking realization that a second-round pick isn’t ready. That includes the 19-year-old son of an NBA legend who entered the NBA draft with a resume that included 483 college minutes. James is what most 55th overall picks are: flawed, limited with a sliver of upside. His size (6’2”) is a problem, he struggles to create separation and his three-point shot is broken. Entering Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, James had connected on 22.6% of his shots—and missed all 15 of his threes. James isn’t the only one struggling in the desert. Ryan Dunn, the Phoenix Suns’ first-round pick, is shooting 31.8%. Donovan Clingan, the seventh overall pick, is shooting 27.6%. The second pick, Alex Sarr, had a stretch where he missed 17 consecutive shots.But James is the only one people are paying attention to. In Vegas, signage with James’s image greeted you at the airport, looked down at you from billboards and is plastered all over ads on the Strip. The biggest crowds at the Thomas & Mack Center were for the Los Angeles Lakers’ first two games—and no one bought tickets to see Dalton Knecht. When Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was caught on camera suggesting James wasn’t a pro, the video quickly went viral. “He has a lot of pressure, a lot of things on him,” said Colin Castleton, James’s Summer League teammate. “So he has a great mindset. He’s a great kid, great teammate and we love being around him. Everybody in the organization loves being around him.”Around James, efforts have been made to ratchet down expectations. “He’s going to have a long career,” said Lakers Summer League coach Dane Johnson. “This is just the beginning.” New Lakers coach JJ Redick called James “a developmental player” and said he encouraged James to “fall in love with [the] process and let go of outcomes.” On The Pat McAfee Show, James’s agent, Rich Paul, said Summer League “wasn’t the end all be all.”“I think all these guys are in development,” Paul said. “Bronny’s no different. He doesn’t get to be excluded from having to develop. Obviously, I know he wants to make shots and he will make shots, but again, it’s just about building great habits.”