Bronny James’ iconic Lakers debut with his father LeBron James was the most discussed event of the NBA’s opening week. Reactions flooded in from all parts of the Internet, most of which were positive comments celebrating the historic moment. However, a lot of the reactions were negative as well, with a large number of fans claiming that the rookie guard doesn’t deserve a spot on the LA side’s roster.
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Well, it seems the management somewhat agrees as they’ve announced that Bronny will be moving to and fro between the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. As announced by ESPN’s newest insider, Shams Charania, Bronny will be splitting his time between the two sides after the Lakers’ upcoming five-game road trip ends.
ESPN story with @mcten: Lakers rookie guard Bronny James is expected to start G League-NBA shuttle after upcoming five-game road trip, including a momentous return to Cleveland: https://t.co/594fD7h3Jk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 25, 2024
Of course, the plan all along, as Head Coach JJ Redick claims, was to have Bronny develop in the G-League, as he’s not NBA-ready after a tumultuous season with the USC Trojans. Even LeBron echoed such a possibility during the Lakers’ Media Day interactions.
The G-League does offer Bronny some time away from the media spectacle to work on his game. The 20-year-old’s biggest weakness right now is his inability to get his shot to fall. His time with the South Bay Lakers is bound to improve that.
As everyone who’s played the sport knows, there’s no substitute for real experience, and Bronny’s not likely to find that with the main team. Regular drills and constant game time will, no doubt, improve Bronny’s match fitness and pace to a level adequate for a role player in the NBA.
The G-League has helped a lot of players in the past
While the G-League is often looked down upon by fans, it’s a great place for players to develop their game and blossom into future NBA stars. There’s been several NBA players who have spent time in the G-League to develop their game, like Jonathan Kuminga, Rudy Gobert, and Pascal Siakam.
Kuminga was among the last members of the NBA’s G-League Ignite, a team that high-school players would choose go to in order to develop their game instead of college. He averaged 15.8 points over 18 games in the second division league. After he was drafted by the Warriors, he spent time with their G-League affiliate, the Santa Clara Warriors. He averaged 9 points over 19 games there.
Gobert was another player who developed in the G-League, but it was known as the D-League at the time. He spent one season with the Bakersfield Jam (now the Motor City Cruise), where he averaged 3 blocks a game.
Siakam is another success from the NBA’s development league, having gone on to win a championship with the Raptors in 2019. He spent a year with the team’s G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He averaged 18.2 points over the regular season and 18 points over the playoffs.
Brandin Podziemski, a key player in the Warriors’ rotation this year, also developed himself playing in the G-League.
Bronny, at 6’2, is probably not going to be as successful individually as the players mentioned above, but he has the potential to be a solid role player for the Lakers. He’s already displayed signs of his defense in the preseason, and his draft combine performance showed that he can be a good shooter from three.
However, his offensive game does need serious work. For a point guard, he’s been unable to get his passing on point, and his shots haven’t dropped in his preseason outings. Even in his NBA debut, he was unable to make a shot, only grabbing 1 rebound in his 3 minutes on the floor.
This upcoming stint in the G-League allows Bronny the perfect opportunity to get to the level that fans expect of him.
