The Los Angeles Lakers used the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Bronny James, doing a favor to LeBron James and hoping the 6-foot-2 guard could develop down the line. Early into his pro career, the consensus on Bronny doesn’t seem to be changing.
While there were a few NAB rumors ahead of the draft about other teams interested in James, it was always assumed he would be selected with the 55th overall pick by the Lakers. Los Angeles had the 20-year-old guard make his NBA debut on Oct. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he went scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting with 1 rebound.
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- Bronny James stats (G-League): 13.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 37.4% FG
The former USC Trojans guard scored his first points in an NBA game on Oct. 30 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and followed it up with 2 points on Nov. 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies. SInce then, he’s spent the majority of his time in the G League. While he’s getting plenty of playing time, the early reviews from scouts suggest his NBA future remains bleak.
Reporting from Orlando, Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN were on hand to watch Bronny get extensive action in the G League. While he’s playing his best basketball since going into cardiac arrest before his freshman season at USC, the on-court results are still mixed.
“You could tell in the two G League games in Orlando that James is more comfortable than what we saw last season at USC and in the summer. The Lakers made it a priority to play James more at point guard and less off the ball, and the results were mixed. The good from James includes the 12 assists in the two games, including five during a three-minute stretch. The bad? How about 12 turnovers.”
ESPN’s Bobby Marks on Bronny James performance in the G League
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- Bronny James NBA stats (ESPN): 4 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 12.5% FG in 18 minutes played
Woo shared that the NBA scouts he’s spoken with regarding Bronny largely have the same opinion on him as before the 2024 NBA Draft. While James is viewed as an “unselfish player” who can make a positive impact on the court, that’s only at the G League level. They are less optimistic he can make an impact in the NBA and very few believe he offers much developmental upside.
“The scouting report remains the same — opposing scouts know what to expect from James but largely aren’t enamored by his long-term outlook. Nobody I spoke with at the Showcase changed their tune. There’s plenty of time for James to improve, but at this point, he remains more valuable to the Lakers than to any of the other 29 teams.”
Jeremy Woo on what NBA scouts are saying about Bronny James
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While NBA scouts noted that Bronny looks stronger than he did in the pre-draft process, inefficiency and turnovers are still glaring issues with his game. The Lakers will give him all the playing time he wants in the G League and he could have a future at that level, but it currently seems very few outside of his own family believe Bronny will become a role player in the NBA.