Bronny James was back in action with the South Bay Lakers on Thursday night after missing some time due to an injury. The Los Angeles Lakers second-round draft pick in 2024 had yet to make a significant impact at either the NBA or the G League level, but given L.A.’s confidence in him, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time.
Bronny’s first breakout moment as a professional basketball player came two games ago, when he recorded a new career-high of 16 points in South Bay. But his follow-up act was even stronger, and it shows that Bronny may quickly be ready to take the leap into G League stardom and, eventually, being a quality NBA player.
He scored a new career-high on Thursday night in South Bay’s losing effort, finishing with 30 points on 13-for-23 from the field, via the NBA G League:
A career-high night for Bronny James! The @Lakers draftee made his road debut, scoring a game-high 30 points on 57% shooting. Bronny, coming off a previous career-high of 16 points, is now averaging 14 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG. 👏🙌 pic.twitter.com/5QnpeEZQTp
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) December 13, 2024
This marked the first road game in the G League for James, who seems to be improving each time he takes the court.
Head coach JJ Redick made so much of the Lakers’ new development program that he and his staff were implementing, and that the 2024 draft class would be the guinea pigs of it. Well, Dalton Knecht has already shown his abilities at the NBA level and has been a starter and consistent contributor in L.A.
Now, Bronny is doing his thing at the G League level and steadily improving with every outing. That’s all the Lakers could hope for from a late second-round pick, and if he can contribute at the NBA level some time soon, that would be a massive victory for the franchise.
Rob Pelinka: Lakers have chased players like Dalton Knecht
Since acquiring LeBron James in the summer of 2018, general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers have tried different formulas in their roster construction. One formula they have not been able to replicate, though, is the one that has been most successful throughout James’ career.
That formula is surrounding James with movement shooters that take advantage of the superstar’s gravity and knock down open looks. Some players the Lakers have tried utilizing in this role are Wesley Matthews, Taurean Prince and even Kyle Kuzma. But the result has never matched what has worked for James in years past.
But in 2024-25, the Lakers finally have someone to fit this bill in rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht. In less than 25 games, Knecht has become a vital part of the Lakers’ rotation, thanks in large part to him being a high volume but still efficient 3-pointer shooter.
Aware of the challenges he’s had surrounding James with a player like Knecht, Pelinka was ecstatic to finally get that player on their roster.
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