The Los Angeles Lakers would love to see Bronny James take a leap forward and become a legitimate rotation player in 2025-26. The 2024 second round pick showed high-level growth in his rookie campaign and over the summer, and it’s showing itself as the Lakers begin preseason.
One player who has seen much of Bronny’s growth up close is Austin Reaves. The Lakers’ third option is in for a massive season of his own, as he can enter unrestricted free agency in 2026. And the former undrafted guard knows what it’s like to have to earn his way in L.A. amid plenty of pressure.
Reaves was highly complimentary of Bronny’s work thus far in training camp and the preseason, speaking to what he’s seen from the second-year guard in September and October.
“He’s been good,” Reaves said after practice on Tuesday. “Obviously, he didn’t shoot the ball as well as he wanted to the first game. I don’t think he took bad shots, all his shots were good. They all looked good. Like he said, some of them hit front rim, maybe due to JJ running us (laughs). I don’t mean that, JJ.
“He’s become a really good player. We went golfing the other day and that was the first thing I told him. We were driving down to the fairway on hole one and I was like, ‘I just need to let you know that in preseason and even before that, you’ve been one of the better players out on the floor almost every day.’ Just continue to do that. He’s a good kid, has a good head on his shoulders, is all about the right stuff and just wants to compete and get better, so shout out to him.”
It hasn’t been clear up to this point exactly what role Bronny might play with the Lakers this season. There were rumors early in the postseason that he could be upwards of a 15 minute per night player, but he could just as easily end up spending some time in the G League with how crowded the Lakers guard rotation is.
Bronny still likely needs some consistency in his jumper in order for him to be a true NBA rotation player, but the strides he’s made up to this point are truly incredible to watch.
Bronny James feeling more comfortable
Last season was filled with outside noise due to the Lakers deciding to draft Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, in the second round. Given who his father is, unrealistic expectations were placed on Bronny when he needed time to develop.
Following a health scare, Bronny needed to take his time and get reps in the G League. To his credit, he looked great with the South Bay Lakers and began to turn the corner in terms of a confident basketball player near the end of his rookie year.
Heading into his sophomore season, it remains to be seen whether James will crack head coach JJ Redick’s rotation. As the 20-year-old adjusts to the NBA lifestyle, he shared that he feels more prepared and comfortable than he did a year ago.
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