The Los Angeles Lakers have a few obvious needs heading into an important offseason. Building around Luka Doncic, LeBron James and likely Austin Reaves, L.A. needs a starting-caliber center and they need some greatly improved perimeter defense. They have certainly already been looking at players to bring in to fit this need, but it’s possible that one of the needs could be met with Bronny James.
Bronny, the Lakers second-round draft pick in 2024, spent his rookie season developing in the G League and getting some small opportunities at the NBA level. Over the course of the season, he not only drastically improved, but showed he might be close to being an NBA rotation player.
His defense is one of his strengths, even if James is a bit undersized, and it’s that skillset combined with the Lakers needs that has an anonymous executive believing he may be one of the answers for L.A. at the guard spot, according to Sean Deveney of Athlon Sports:
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s their plan,” one Western Conference 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 player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July.”
The executive gave Bronny credit that people are not quick to give him, as he did significantly improve his game while in the G League over the course of 2024-25. And there’s no reason to think that development can’t continue. The executive expanded on the specific reasons Bronny might be able to play a real role next season:
“He’s 20 years old,” the exec 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 3. 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.
“I think he is going to do all that. He is going to be a regular for them next year.”
The Lakers having a perimter defender that can shoot 3-pointers on a rookie contract won’t solve all their problems. They’ll still need more help on the perimeter in players that can carve out a larger role than 10-15 minutes a night. However, it would be a huge development if James can handle that role.
With the way the NBA is going, it seems as though the ideal roster construction is becoming 1-2 stars surrounded by elite depth. And one of the ways to get elite depth under the confines of the salary cap is to draft well. Bronny could prove to be that type of find in the late second round if he can play a full rotation role next season.
Bronny James proud of growth during 2024-25 season
Bronny James was the most talked about 55th pick ever due to his last name, on top of playing for one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports. Heading into his first season, there were unrealistic expectations for Bronny, but the Lakers played it smart by placing him in the G League to continue his development.
Notably, James dropped a career-high 17 points for the Lakers against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 21 and he looked extremely confident on the floor, showing off the hard work he put in. Despite not getting much time with the Lakers, the 20-year-old was proud of his rookie year and the way he developed in such a short time.
“Good,” Bronny said. “Proud of what I’ve become, proud of the growth that I’ve had over the year and ready to get back at it next year.”
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