There’s no rest for the weary in the NBA. Just weeks after the Finals, draft, and free agency, Summer League is already in full swing. We’ve already seen some standout performances, including No. 3 overall pick V.J. Edgecombe, who dropped a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double in his debut for the 76ers on Friday.
With that said, it’s not just rookies who are trying to showcase their talents to the rest of the league, it can be sophomores as well. And there are very few sophomores more polarizing than Bronny James. The 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft had some moments for the Lakers last year, but only appeared in 27 regular season games while averaging just 6.7 minutes per contest.
James did most of his damage in the G League, where he very much looked the part, averaging 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals in 34.2 minutes per game for the South Bay Lakers. He shot 44% from the field and an 38% from three in his 11 G League appearances.
While last year was a bit of a novelty due to the hype surrounding James playing with his father, he will look to forge his own path in the league during his second NBA campaign. And if Sunday’s Summer League game was any indication of how 2025 will go, James is off to a terrific start.
LeBron’s eldest son racked up 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting with two rebounds and a steal in just 11 minutes during the Lakers’ 103-83 win over the Heat. He also threw down a ferocious dunk.
The Lakers are set to take on the Spurs on Tuesday, and below I detail my favorite prop bet for James in that contest.
Bronny James 10+ points, 4+ rebounds (+300)
DraftKings is offering specials for NBA Summer League games, and the one that stands out for Lakers/Spurs is James 10+ points and 4+ rebounds at +300 odds.
As mentioned above, James played just 10 minutes in LA’s first game on Sunday and still did plenty of damage. If he sees an uptick in minutes here, he should easily exceed both these totals.
If you think he facilitates more in this game, you can also grab his 10+ points, 4+ assists special at +500.
It’s also quite reasonable to think that the “James 2+ threes made/Dalton Knecht 2+ threes made” prop at +210 hits as well here. Knecht played 22 minutes in the Lakers Summer League game on Sunday and went 0-of-3 from distance, while James nailed two triples on five attempts. Knecht is an elite three-point shooter, so if he gets similar minutes on Tuesday he should challenge this number pretty easily.