Shams Explains Why Bronny James Isn’t ‘Normal, Everyday’ G League Player with Lakers

Andrew PetersNovember 19, 2024

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When the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James in the 2024 NBA draft, there was an expectation that he would get different treatment than a typical rookie.

A few weeks into his NBA and G League career, ESPN’s Shams Charania explained how James isn’t a “normal, everyday” G League player.

“Continue to keep him around the active roster as much as they can, but also he’s going to be playing G League home games for right now,” Charania said. “He’s going to be shuttling back and forth, practicing with the G League team, practicing with the Lakers, being on the Lakers’ active roster, playing in the G League home games. Bronny James isn’t just your normal, everyday G League player for all the reasons we just mentioned. His name is Bronny James and there are some things with him that just go with it… There’s a different level of fanfare when he’s on the road for these G League games.”

Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow”The Lakers are gonna continue to keep Bronny James around the active roster as much as they can..

He’s gonna be playing G League home games for right now” ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/T60b805rBT

Charania also noted that James eventually playing road games in the G League is still a possibility and broke down Los Angeles’ thought process for shuttling him back and forth.

“I don’t think the door is necessarily completely shut on him playing in those road games as the G League season goes on, but right now, that is the plan that the Lakers have laid out,” he said. “They want him to continue to shuttle back and forth, spend as much time on the active roster as possible.

“It is very typical for a second-round pick to shuttle back and forth with the G League, but it would be atypical for a second-round pick to potentially just only spend time in the G League. … He’s got three years guaranteed on his deal, he’s an NBA player that’s going to spend time in the G League.”

So far, James has appeared in six of the Lakers’ 13 games, averaging 2.7 minutes per game. He’s scored just four points thus far—two against the Cleveland Cavaliers and two against the Memphis Grizzlies.

He’s played two games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 5.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, a steal and a block per game while playing nearly 30 minutes per contest. His efficiency has been concerning, as he’s shooting 21.1 percent from the field and has yet to make a three-pointer.

South Bay has a road matchup on Wednesday but will have three straight home games to close out the November slate. Getting more games under his belt seems instrumental for James amid his struggles to start the year.

It’s common for second-rounders to spend most of their rookie year in the G League. But to earn a full-time spot on the Lakers’ NBA roster, Bronny needs to become more productive moving forward.