According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers intend to use second-round pick Bronny James mainly in the G League in 2024–25.
“The Lakers intend to use Bronny James primarily in the G League as he remains far from a rotation-caliber player, even though he had an impressive summer league finish, at least by his modest expectations,” Buha wrote.
James, the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of the University of Southern California (USC), struggled early in Summer League with his shooting, but he played well in his final two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.
James scored 12 points, grabbed one rebound, and committed one steal in his 5-for-11 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc against the Hawks.
In the game that followed, he had a strong performance against the Cavaliers, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 1–3 from 3-point range, along with three assists, two blocks, and five rebounds.
The teenage guard had good performances in both games, having overcome a sluggish start to his 3-point shooting this summer.
James was a late second-round selection, and since the Lakers want to contend for a championship, it was unlikely that he would play a significant part in 2024–25. D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, and Austin Reaves are already fascinating guard alternatives for the Lakers, and they should play a significant portion of J.J. Redick’s rotation.
Furthermore, Dalton Knecht and Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ final two first-round selections, may be selected ahead of James in the order of preference for playing time.
In order to give James the best chance of developing into an impact player down the road, it makes sense for the Lakers to let him continue to grow at the G League level.
James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists a game while playing for USC in 2023–24. He also shot 26.7 percent from beyond the arc and 36.6 percent from the field. During his rookie campaign, he scored ten or more points for the Trojans three separate times.
When the Lakers’ second-round pick reports for training camp and the preseason this autumn, it will be interesting to watch how he performs.
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