Bronny James being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was something that many expected. It was clear that he was destined to join his father, LeBron James, on the Lakers.
Following the draft, James instantly began getting attacked by fans and even analysts. He was treated as if Los Angeles had drafted him with their first-round pick.
After a rough start to the NBA Summer League, those attacks grew even more.
The media and fan takes about the younger James have gotten out of control. He was never going to come in and be an immediate role player. In fact, the Lakers’ plans for him are much different than that.
According to a report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Los Angeles is planning to utilize James primarily in the G-League this season.
“And though Bronny James had an impressive end to summer league, at least by his modest expectations, the Lakers plan on using him primarily in the G League as he remains far from a rotation-caliber player.”
Gone are the days of life being easy for James and the press being excited about him instead of critical.
Not that long ago, he was one of the most successful players on the NIL marketplace. He was a player that fans rooted for and wanted to see succeed.
Speaking of his NIL success, On3 had his NIL valuation at $3.2 million. He was one of the top paid college athletes in the nation.
On the court with the USC Trojans, James ended up playing in 25 games and starting in six of them. He averaged 4.8 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 36.6 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from the three-point line.
Clearly, he was not a player that was going to come to the NBA and magically be a role player.
Playing him in the G-League is the right move for the Lakers. He’ll get valuable playing time while working with an NBA-level coaching staff. In a couple of years, he might be ready to make the jump to the NBA full-time.
All of that being said, it’s time to stop acting like James was ever drafted to come in and play a big role right away. He’ll see some game action in order to play with his dad, but development will be everything for him moving forward.
