Former USC Trojans guard Bronny James is preparing for his second season in the NBA. James was a 2025 NBA Draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers and had an up-and-down rookie season.
James split his time between the G League with the South Bay Lakers and in the NBA. The former Trojan was scrutinized throughout his first season because of who his father is. There was a belief that James was only in the league because Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James had a say.
In his rookie season, James played well, but he is still growing. According to Sean Deveney of Athlon Sports, anonymous executives believe his role with the Lakers will grow.
“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 three. 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.”
James spent 11 games with South Bay, starting in each of them. With the playing time he earned in the G League, he showed his skills defensively and demonstrated how well he can play with consistent minutes. With South Bay, James averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks. He shot 38 percent from beyond the three-point line.
In the NBA, James saw much fewer minutes, which some believe hurt his development as a rookie. In the regular season, James played in 27 games, averaging 6.7 minutes. Through the season he averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 0.3 steals.
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James’ best game of the season was on March 20 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He earned 30 minutes, scoring 17 points, with three rebounds, five assists, and one block.
James earned one start which was the final regular season game for the Lakers. He played 38 minutes, earning four points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals. James showed signs of the player he can become but will need to continue to grow. His strengths remain defensively and as a play-maker with his assists.
The Western Conference executive James may turn into one of the answers for the Los Angeles guard spot.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s their plan,” the 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 in April than he was in October, and definitely in July.”
“I think he is going to do all that. He is going to be a regular for them next year.”
The Lakers need more help on the perimeter, and if James can continue to develop, he could turn into the help the team needs. With his rookie season over, James is heading into an offseason where he is going to work on blocking out the outside noise and continue to get better to potentially become a consistent rotational piece for the team.
“Working is a distraction from everything. I love just coming into the gym and working and talking to my coaches and watching film. All of the stuff that can help me get better every day. It’s a distraction from all of that stuff. So, just going to continue to do that and see where it takes me. It’s going good so far,” James said following the Lakers final game.
