LAS VEGAS — For the first time and probably the last time, the top storyline of Summer League was centered around the 55th overall pick. Of course, that pick was Lebron “Bronny” James Jr.

The low-hanging fruit analysis wise is to simply say that Bronny doesn’t belong in the league on merit alone, and that his father pulled the necessary strings to ensure a landing spot in the NBA draft. And yes, while that’s partially true in the fact that Klutch Sports and the Lakers openly manipulated the draft process to land him, it doesn’t necessarily tell the full story regarding his merit.

His Summer League in Las Vegas got out to a rough start, which did little quiet the merit skeptics. He went 0-for-8 from three-point range, and his body-language was reminiscent of a player who would have literally been anywhere else but the floor at the Thomas & Mack Center.

His second outing wasn’t too far off, and the Lakers started Summer League 0-2 in large part because of it.

Fortunately, he didn’t let a couple of bad nights turn into a completely bad week. It looked like there was a completely different Bronny on the floor during the Lakers’ last two games and it reflected in the team’s performance. In Wednesday’s win against the Hawks, he tallied 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field while making two three pointers on five attempts.

He saved his best performance for his Summer League swan song, recording 13 points on 50% shooting from the field with a three pointer while adding five rebounds and three assists. If there was any game on tape that showed Bronny’s potential prowess as a pro basketball player in his public career, it was this one.

The larger narrative surrounding Bronny’s merit is largely centered around his lackluster statistics during his only season at USC. It would also be a disservice to mention those struggles without also mentioning the cardiac arrest incident Bronny suffered last summer leading into his freshman season. 

The incident caused him to miss the first month of the season and by the time he was back in the mix for the Trojans, the team was already in a freefall and his coach Andy Enfield already had one foot out the door.

For context, a month before the cardiac arrest incident, Bronny was 17th on the ESPN draft board and consensus projected first round pick. Even considering all of this, as a professional basketball player, Bronny’s profile is going to be in the essence of a three-and-D type of player whose impacts weren’t always going to be measurable on a stat sheet.

He was among the most explosive players in the draft class, with his 40.5 inch vertical jump ranking fourth out of all prospects at the combine. He put this on display throughout Summer League with a few highlight reel blocks that surely lived up to the last name on the back of his jersey.

His strength, dexterity, and proficiency in navigating screens gives him a high ceiling as a point-of-attack defender.

“Just being locked in on the defensive end, that's what's going to keep you on the floor,” James Jr. said. “If you can't guard, then you can't play. But also, just being aggressive, staying aggressive, looking for my shot, taking the right shots while being aggressive.”

He has the form and release to be a solid-to-good shooter in the league, as evidenced by his 19-of-25 performance during three-point shooting drills at the NBA combine. Even if you credit that to a hot hand and defer to his tempered numbers from Summer League, it shows a positive outlook as a potential three-point option in the league.

Still, Bronny would be best served spending most of the coming season in South Bay with the Lakers G-League team honing his craft. He may not be completely ready to provide serviceable minutes for a Lakers team that has championship aspirations, but the organization has also made it clear that they plan to give Bronny some run with the big squad.

“He is a development player,” new Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “That's how we're looking at Bronny. “He's certainly going to spend time with the Lakers. He will spend time as well in the G League, you know, as we sort of build out our player development program. 

“He's going to be an important part of that and what I've communicated to him right now, what we're looking for is defensive ball pressure.”

On finally getting the opportunity to play with his father, Bronny said “It's a big step for both of us. I feel like playing together, going to work together every day is going to build on the relationship we already have. 

"I feel like that connection may be even stronger, but I'm excited to make it to work on that.”