The Los Angeles Lakers’ selection of rookie guard Bronny James set off all kinds of narratives this past season. After a poor showing in college at USC, many people believe that James should have returned to school for another year.
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But James pushed to go to the NBA, and the Lakers took a chance on him in the second round. James started off the year poorly, struggling to keep up with the pace of play in the G League, but after a few months, he seemed to get the hang of things.
According to an anonymous Western Conference executive who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Lakers have plans for James to be part of the rotation next year.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s their plan,” one West executive said. “I know the guy gets a lot of grief because of who his dad is, but we’ve seen a lot of tape on (Bronny) and the fact is, he was a lot better player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July.”
“He’s 20 years old,” the executive said. “He had a whole year where his development was thrown all out of whack. But he can defend the perimeter and he showed he can shoot the 3. If he can show that wasn’t a fluke, he is going to start getting 10, 15 minutes a night because the team is going to feel like they can trust him.”
REPORT: Western conference exec says the Lakers are “dead-set” on making Bronny a part of the rotation next season, per @SeanDeveney.”The fact is, he was a lot better player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July… If he can show that wasn’t a fluke, he is… pic.twitter.com/gkBuy4Uvpr
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 1, 2025
This report also comes after NBA insider Dave McMenamin hinted at James being part of the rotation as well. It seems to be a common thought around the NBA that the Lakers believe in James enough to give him a chance.
“I think he could be a rotation player by mid-season next year if he continues this trajectory,” McMenamin said. “He’s a [20-year-old] kid coming back from a [cardiac arrest]. He is just developing as a person, let alone [as] a basketball player. It’s not like he can go off somewhere in the shadows and do his work. He’s in the spotlight every single moment, and he found a way to push through it and had a very successful G League season.”
James averaged 21.9 points on .443/.380/.815 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals a night in the G League. The guard looked much more comfortable as time went on, and showed why some scouts loved his game coming out of college.
But in comparison, he averaged just 2.3 points on .313/.281/.786 shooting splits, along with 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds per game with the Lakers. If James is going to make the rotation in the NBA, he will need to be much more consistent.
The Lakers are vying for NBA titles, and can’t have inconsistency coming from rotation players. But the progression of James has been incredible to watch, and it seems that Los Angeles could give him an opportunity next year.
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