Bronny James NBA regular season, Summer League prop bets posted
Bronny James would not have been selected in June’s NBA draft if he wasn’t LeBron James’ son.
That’s the opinion of several pundits as well as veteran Westgate SuperBook NBA oddsmaker Jeff Sherman, who has posted eight regular-season props, along with NBA Summer League game props on the Los Angeles Lakers rookie from Southern California.
“I don’t expect too much over (Bronny James’) NBA career. He doesn’t have the size and, right now, the shot. There’s not too much there,” Sherman said. “But I understand the circumstances of everything. It’s no different than Giannis (Antetokounmpo’s) brother (Thanasis being) on the Bucks.”
Bronny James, 19, is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound guard. He is seven inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than his famous father. Bronny James was drafted 55th overall by the Lakers on June 27, less than a year after he went into cardiac arrest during a workout at USC and was diagnosed with a treatable congenital heart defect.
He was cleared to play for the Trojans on Nov. 30 and averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in his lone college season.
“Hopefully he gets some G League time because he’s not going to get that much time to work on things in the NBA,” Sherman said.
James is expected to get plenty of playing time in the Summer League. He had four points, two rebounds and two assists in the Lakers’ 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings in his debut Saturday at the California Classic. He was 2 of 9 from the field, including 0 of 3 on 3s.
He went under in all of his props at the SuperBook: 10½ points, 3½ rebounds, 5½ assists and 1½ 3-pointers. Sherman lowered James’ points prop to 6½ and assists to 3½ before James sat out Sunday’s 92-68 loss to the Warriors with a sore knee.
He is expected to return in Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco before heading to the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts Friday and runs through July 22 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
Regular-season props
James is 500-1 at the SuperBook to win the Rookie of the Year award. He’s 12-1 to score 20 points or more in any game in the 2024-25 season, as well as 40-1 to score 25 or more and 100-1 to score 30 or more.
He’s 25-1 to pull down 10 rebounds or more in a game, 60-1 to dish out 10 assists or more and 150-1 to record a triple-double.
“We’ve actually had some tickets on almost every one,” Sherman said. “These are achieving some decent numbers. That’s why there’s long odds associated with them.”
The only prop that has moved so far is the 10-plus rebounds, which opened at 50-1.
“We’ve taken some money on that,” Sherman said. “Everything else is a bunch of small tickets. That’s what we expected. People can pay attention and have something for the season.
“He’s going to be in the spotlight so much on (ESPN’s) SportsCenter and things like that. This can just coincide with the coverage.”
The SuperBook also has a prop on the method of James’ first basket. Layup is the 2-1 favorite, followed by 3-pointer at +225, free throw at +550 and dunk at 9-1. Other is +350.
Summer League odds
The Utah Jazz are the 5-1 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook to win the Las Vegas Summer League, which features all 30 NBA teams.
The Golden State Warriors are the 6-1 second choice, followed by the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets at 8-1 and the Houston Rockets at 12-1.
The Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets are each 15-1.
The Lakers are the longest shots on the board at 100-1.
“You have to go through the rosters. You’re just basically shaping (the odds) based on perception, if some of the teams are sending their better rookies or second-year players,” Sherman said. “Even the most popular players you want to see might just play a game or two and get sent home. You’re really just looking at a lot of G League players in Summer League.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.