The Los Angeles Lakers are still determining a plan for guard Bronny James for the 2024-25 season, but according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is willing to play in the G League as much as the franchise wants him to.
“The Lakers are still determining their plan for Bronny next season, according to team sources,” Buha wrote. “He is expected to play part of the season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, though how much time he spends there will be decided by the context of the Lakers’ season and how Bronny continues to develop. He’s willing to play in the G League as much as the Lakers want.”
It seems like the Lakers want to see James’ game continue to improve, and he should be able to get more consistent minutes – especially if the Lakers are competing for a playoff spot – in the G League. As a result, it remains to be seen how often he’ll get to share the floor with his father LeBron.
Los Angeles has several pieces returning from last season around the elder James and Anthony Davis, including Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and Max Christie.
With the elder James deciding to remain with the franchise this offseason to chase another title, the Lakers are likely to focus on playing more experienced players that can help them win now in the 2024-25 season.
First-round pick Dalton Knecht, who has played well in Summer League action, could also end up in the rotation if he proves he can contribute on a nightly basis at the NBA level.
As for the younger James, Summer League has been a tough adjustment. He is averaging 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game through five Summer League matchups.
He is coming off his best showing against the Atlanta Hawks (12 points on 5-of-11 shooting), but the second-round pick is shooting just 28.6 percent from the field and 10.0 percent from beyond the arc over his five appearances.
After playing just one season at the University of Southern California (USC), the younger James still has some room to grow as a player. The Lakers certainly are hoping he can develop into a consistent piece in their rotation, but it doesn’t appear that they’re going to force that in the 2024-25 campaign.
“I’m just looking forward to any basketball I play, no matter what level I’m playing at,” the younger James said last week when asked about potentially playing in the G League.
It’ll be interesting to see just how much the second-round pick is able to develop and if he’ll be able to contribute to the Lakers in the 2024-25 season.
