The Los Angeles Lakers have extensive plans for their second-round draft pick this season. After the Lakers’ upcoming road trip later this month, the 55th overall pick, Bronny James, will split his time between the NBA and the G-League.
“Bronny James is expected to travel on the team’s upcoming road trip from Oct. 28-Nov. 6 and then begin shuttling between the active roster and the franchise’s South Bay G League affiliate,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “As Bronny James and his representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, discussed development throughout his predraft process with NBA teams, sources told ESPN that the concept of the G League was welcomed.”
Bronny, 19, just made his NBA debut last week in the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the 110-103 win, Bronny scored 0 points on 0-2 shooting in almost 3 minutes of play.
James Jr. is still fresh off his college stint with the USC Trojans, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 36.6% shooting. Despite questions about his potential and his readiness for the NBA, the Lakers picked Bronny with the 55th overall pick and made history with the first father-son pairing in the NBA.
With expectations relatively low for James Jr., the Lakers set a plan for a slow development process that began back in the Summer League. There, he was able to get some crucial playing time to grow accustomed to NBA standards.
Now that the season is in full swing, and Bronny has taken the court with his dad, the focus will shift to getting him into a place where he can properly develop his skills. As a ball handler, scorer, and pesky perimeter defender, Bronny has shown flashes of greatness before and the only way for him to bring that consistently is with hard work and time to play out his mistakes.
With the South Bay Lakers, Bronny will have the best of all worlds. He’ll be under the watchful eye of his father while also having the space and freedom to discover his own identity. Best of all, Bronny won’t have to deal with blowback from the fans if he messes up or fails to be effective right away.
When it comes to LeBron and Bronny, the Los Angeles Lakers are always going to take great measures to protect them and ensure that they are pleased with their current situation. In Bronny’s case, the Lakers are going to do whatever it takes to help ensure his success and that he’s ready to carry the torch when his dad eventually walks away from the game.
In the meantime, the Lakers will rely on contributions from Dalton Knecht, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell to help make up the difference. With new head coach JJ Redick, the team is playing with a renewed sense of purpose and there is a strong belief that they can make a deep playoff run this season.
No matter what happens, Bronny’s future is secured for at least until 2028 after signing a four-year, $7.9 million contract this summer. The Lakers are clearly invested in his future and his development will be among the biggest stories of the G-League.
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