Lakers risking Bronny James' development with bizarre G League strategy
11/15/2024 02:37 PM
Bronny James made his G League debut in the South Bay Lakers home opener against the Salt Lake City Stars. A wire-to-wire win for South Bay in front of a sold-out crowd at the UCLA Health and Training Center. That will be the only G-League crowd he will play in front of according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
“He's only going to play in the South Bay Lakers' home games,” Brian Whindhorst said on the Hoop Collective confirmed these reports. “He's only going to kind of be a part-time G League player, and he's not getting on United Airlines to fly to these road games.”
"I'm gonna apply the brakes on my 'everything's fine' on the Bronny front…"
– Brian Windhorst[@WindhorstESPN]Had enough of the Hollywood #LakeShow ??#NBApic.twitter.com/BKVYk8Def5
— Chris Gorman (@GormanChristoph) November 13, 2024
This plan does not help anyone, said Whindhorst.
"Now, I think it’s actually detrimental to him. I don’t know whose idea it was. Obviously, the Lakers are fine with it. They’re doing it. On this particular instance, I think that’s gone too far and I don’t think that benefits Bronny, I don’t think it benefits the South Bay Lakers, and I don’t think it benefits LeBron at that point. I think it’d be much better if Bronny was a more developed player by February or March by playing in G-League road games."
He’s right. No matter how high you believe the ceiling is, it’s abundantly clear Bronny is not ready for real rotation minutes on the Lakers. Getting the occasional garbage time minutes at the end of blowouts does little to help his game. Cutting his game reps in half would be a mistake, with the potential of heavily deterring his development.
This decision is undoubtedly made collectively between the front office and the James family. Is it understandable for LeBron James, in his 22nd year, to want his son with him on road games? Yes. Is it also the wrong move for Bronny as a basketball player? Yes.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ first father-son duo is an incredible story. It should be celebrated. However, what is best for Bronny and his basketball development should not be overlooked.
Bronny flashed some defensive upside in his debut with an offensive game that would need time. He finished 2-9 from the field with six points, four assists, and five turnovers in 31 minutes. The nice lobs to the bigs were mixed in with questionable decision-making passes. The off-the-bounce and spot-up jump shots will require as many reps as possible.
The defensive intangibles are there. He racked up two steals and a block. He navigates screens well and bothers the opposing guards at the point of attack. The new head coach, Zack Guthrie, raved about his unselfishness after the game. As long as the reps are there, there is a solid foundation of talent to work from.
The just turned 20 year old already lost a year recovering from a cardiac arrest issue. Not allowing him to play in road games puts him even farther behind the eight ball.
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