NBA Summer League Day 3: Bronny James showing improvement, everyone loves Yuki Kawamura

Yahoo

8 hours ago

LAS VEGAS — Two courts, eight games, there is a lot to see the first weekend of the 2025 NBA Summer League Las Vegas. Here are a few notes and the highlights we saw.
Bronny James showing improvement
The hype around Bronny James has not subsided. As evidence, for the marquee game of opening night of the Las Vegas Summer League, the NBA chose to match the second-year player and No. 55 draft pick against No. 1 pick and rising star Cooper Flagg. The league saw that as its biggest draw (and it was right, the game was the fourth-highest-rated Summer League game ESPN has ever shown).
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Ignore the hype. On the court, Summer League serves as a measuring stick for players. Their first year sets a baseline, but when they return, the question becomes: Do we see the improvement?
We do with Bronny James. He looks considerably improved.
Bronny has looked strong in transition, but the most noticeable improvements are in the half court. His handle has improved, and with that has come some confidence. His court vision and decision-making may be what has made the biggest leap.
"His passing out of the pick and rolls and really seeing," Lakers Summer League coach Lindsey Harding said of Bronny's improvement. "And it's not just the pass to the big rolling, it's if the low man comes over, he sees the man in the corner. Right? It's the whole floor. And I think it's easy to see one read, but, like, he's developing everything else. Understanding where everyone else is on the floor and where their defenders are coming from."
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There is still work to be done if Bronny wants to become part of the Lakers' rotation, with the biggest being that his shot needs to improve. In Saturday's game against the Pelicans, Bronny got inside and was 4-of-6 shooting in the paint, but was 1-of-5 on 3-pointers. That follows a trend, through all of Summer League Bronny is 4-of-18 from 3.
What the Lakers are trying to do with Summer League is get Bronny more reps, especially in higher-pressure moments.
"We want him to play on the ball. We want him to play off the ball. Especially in tight moments," Harding said. "I like the ball in his hands and I want him to make those decisions. You can go through as many drills as you want, but nothing beats live. So, when you're live, you make your decisions, and then you also learn by film."
Bronny is learning, he is improving, and it shows on the court.
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Fan favorite in Vegas? Yuki Kawamura
Cooper who? Bronny, are you kidding?
The fan favorite at Summer League is Yuki Kawamura, the 5'8" Japanese star who is playing for the Bulls in Las Vegas — and making plays that light up the crowd.
Kawamura was the shortest person with an NBA contract last season (a two-way with the Grizzlies) and he got in 22 games for Memphis. Before that, fans might remember him playing for Japan in the Paris Olympics, where he averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 assists per game.
He's playing all out and putting on a show in Vegas, trying to earn another shot in the NBA.
Other notes from around Summer League
• Check out Noah Rubin's story from the battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. It was a good day for Flagg — and Carter Bryant.
• Jeremiah Fears is fun to watch. Jeremiah Fears' buckets are entertaining.
His misses are also entertaining — and there were a lot of them. Through two games in Las Vegas, Fears is 9-of-33 shooting (27.3%). He plays without, well, fear and will take he hard shots, but he looks a little sped up at Summer League. The efficiency should come with time.
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• Maxime Raynaud will be heard. Maxime Raynaud wins the award for most vocal player at Summer League. The 7-foot French center who played last season at Stanford was a second-round pick of the Kings, is constantly calling out opponent plays on defense, trying to alert his teammates to what is coming — and he is not quiet about it. This is a good thing. Raynaud signed a three-year, $5.9 million contract with Sacramento. He will be there in the fall, and fans will hear him.
• Edgecombe still out. The 76ers VJ Edgecombe has yet to make his Las Vegas Summer League debut due to a thumb injury. Will we see him, or will the 76ers just shut him down for the remainder of Summer League?