Bronny James isn’t in the running for any major awards or accolades in his rookie season, but Gilbert Arenas thinks he would have been if he had gotten big minutes. Arenas stated on the latest episode of Gil’s Arena that James would have been a top-five Rookie of the Year candidate if he were playing 36 minutes a game.
“If they played him 36 minutes [per game], he would be averaging 12 [points], four [rebounds], and four [assists],” Arenas said. “He’d be top 5 for Rookie of the Year.”
It should be pointed out that Arenas was simply extrapolating James’ stats here. The 20-year-old has put up 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25 while averaging 4.2 minutes. If you upped those minutes to 36, his averages would basically be 12-4-4, on paper.
Now, per 36 is a useful metric for player evaluation and can give you an idea about what the individual would be capable of if given more time on the court. In James’ case, though, using this isn’t ideal, and there are a couple of reasons for that.
For starters, James’ average of 4.2 minutes per game is too low for you to get even a remotely accurate projection. If he were at around 20-25 minutes a game, then it’d make sense to look at per 36.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, you have to keep in mind that James has almost exclusively played in garbage time in the NBA this season. Not only has he primarily been facing bench players like himself when he steps out on the court, but the games are all but over, too.
If James were playing 36 minutes a night, he’d be facing far better players, and the games would very much be in the balance, too. The chances of him putting up 12-4-4 in those circumstances aren’t great, to say the least. It’s not a surprise that Arenas was using such an argument, though. He has trained Bronny in the past and definitely has a soft spot for him.
That said, if we do assume for a moment that James would put up those numbers, he would then be in the ROTY race. San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is the favorite for the award right now, and he’s averaging 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25. So, James could have even perhaps been named ROTY if those projections were actually accurate.
Bronny James Has Impressed In The G League
While James, the 55th pick of the 2024 Draft, has not made much of an impact in the NBA, he has impressed in the G League for the South Bay Lakers. The former USC guard struggled initially in the Tip-Off Tournament but has found his footing since.
James is averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in the regular season. He is shooting a respectable 36.1% from beyond the arc, too, and appears to have grown a fair bit as a player with time.
It is still too early to state that James will turn out to be a good NBA player, but his play in the G League does give you a reason to be slightly optimistic. He still has a long way to go, of course, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in his sophomore season.
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