While Cooper Flagg dominated in his second NBA Summer League outing, fans online couldn’t stop talking about Bronny James.
Bronny James is a player who attracted a lot of unwarranted scrutiny last summer. The son of LeBron James, Bronny, was the #54 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, because of his last name, Bronny was treated like a lottery pick by the media, who hyperanalyzed everything about him.
But the young star kept his head down and put in the work. Bronny impressed Lakers coach JJ Redick and his staff.
Currently, James is playing in the NBA Summer League. Bronny’s debut at the 2025 Summer League impressed fans. But it was his performance against the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, that made waves.
Bronny made life very difficult for Flagg on the defensive end. Flagg did play much better in his second Summer League game, dropping 31 points. But many NBA fans believe his outing against the San Antonio Spurs proved a lot about Bronny’s development.
NBA fans claim Cooper Flagg’s performance shows how good Bronny James really is
While Cooper Flagg showed off his skill with his 31-point performance, NBA fans acknowledged how well Bronny played defensively against the future star.
One fan simply said, “Bronny defense underrated.”
While another fan joked, “Now that Bronny wasn’t around.”
The references to James’ great defense continued, with one fan noting, “See what happens when Bronny isn’t around to lock him up?”
Another fan claimed, “Bronny clamped this up by the way.”
In a similar vein, another fan wrote, “I guess this is what happens when Bronny isn’t guarding you!”
And another fan went as far as to say, “So, what I’m hearing is Bronny is the Cooper Flagg stopper.”
Bronny James developing into strong defensive presence
What Flagg’s bounce-back outing shows us about Bronny James is truly quite impressive. Despite going against one of the brightest prospects in the NBA, Bronny held his own and was able to make life tough for Cooper Flagg.
Tim Legler claimed Bronny James exposed Flagg’s shot selection with his defense. But it isn’t just Legler who was impressed with James’ defensive development.
Mike Bresnahan believes Bronny could be a solid NBA defender next season. Given his improvements over the last year, that isn’t a wild reach by any means.
James made it a priority to work on his defense ahead of next season. It appears the young star understands what his role on the Lakers needs to be.
