No rookie in the NBA faced more scrutiny this past season than Los Angeles Lakers second-round pick Bronny James. Despite being the 55th overall pick in the draft, every single move he made was watched closely due to the fact that he is the son of LeBron James.
Of course, the two made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history, but after that season-opening contest, the season was all about development and growth for Bronny. And as the season went on, he began to show signs of that development and that culminated in a late-season game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Lakers sitting out many of their top players including LeBron, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Bronny would play nearly 30 minutes and finish with 17 points, three rebounds and five assists on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. The Lakers guard named that performance as a highlight of his rookie season.
“I’d say the Milwaukee game is one, but just overall, having performances that I’d say I was proud of,” Bronny said during his exit interview. “Every one of those meant so much for me that I can prove to some of the people, even if they don’t want to switch sides, but prove to some of those people that I belong here and I can play. I just love that feeling, so it was great.”
This was the story of Bronny’s first season as many feel like he is not an NBA-level talent and is only on the roster because of his father. Proving those people wrong is a driving force for James and that game against the Bucks gave him a confidence boost that he belongs.
“A lot of confidence,” Bronny added of what that game taught him. “I’ve known I can do that, just being able to go out there and actually do it makes me feel great about myself and where I’m going as a player.”
Bronny was never going to have a big role on the Lakers as a rookie, but this late-season performance when he had the opportunity had to feel good. James had been showing great improvements in the G League throughout the year and wound up averaging 21.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 38% from 3-point range in 11 regular season games for South Bay. And now he will look to build off this first NBA season and continue to grow as a player in the offseason.
Can Bronny James be rotation player for Lakers next season?
If Bronny James is able to continue improving this offseason, there is a chance he could find himself with a role on the Lakers next season. And one executive certainly feels like that is a real possibility.
An anonymous Western Conference executive spoke on his belief on that being the Lakers’ plan next season while noting how much improvement Bronny made throughout the season. The executive added that if Bronny can prove his shooting was no fluke, he could find himself getting 10-15 minutes a game in his second season.
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