The Los Angeles Lakers announced that they have assigned Bronny James to the South Bay Lakers ahead of the G League season opener on Saturday.
This has been the plan all along as James is expected to split time between the Lakers and G League this season in order to get reps to develop his game.
Considering Bronny hardly played at USC last year and is not part of the Lakers’ rotation, the main way for him to work on things and develop during his rookie season will be with South Bay. Everyone is on board with this plan and it appears that it will start on Saturday when South Bay hosts the Salt Lake City Stars.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN though, James is likely to only play in South Bay’s home games this season in order to spend time with the parent team as well:
The Lakers today assigned Bronny James to their NBA G League affiliate, South Bay, where he’s expected to debut vs. Salt Lake City on Saturday, sources said. James will be on Lakers roster vs. 76ers Friday, then rejoin South Bay. https://t.co/Bj1zP5YO7I
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 7, 2024
For now, sources said, the G League plan is for Bronny James to play in only South Bay home games – as he shuttles between both leagues and team manages his time on respective rosters.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 7, 2024
This is similar to how the Lakers handled Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis last season as they split time between the G League and parent team. Those two will likely do the same again this year, giving Bronny some valuable resources to get advice from as he navigates his rookie season.
South Bay Lakers head coach Zach Guthrie on conversations with Bronny James
Speaking at South Bay Lakers Media Day on Thursday, head coach Zach Guthrie gave some insight into his talk with Bronny about what this year will look like.
“The conversations with Bronny have been just like conversations with Maxwell and Jalen and Quincy, Armel and Christian. It’s the same thing. We’re a process-oriented group. So whenever that time comes for Bronny to be on the team, just like it is with Maxwell and Jalen, we want to be process-oriented and really focus on don’t worry about the results, don’t worry about what happens, can you do the things that I was just talking about that Jalen and Maxwell are doing? You have the institutional knowledge, you’ve been here all summer, you’ve been working your tail off, so let’s just lead, be a leader by example, play hard, play within the system, and do what you’ve done your whole career,” Guthrie said.
“Let’s just have fun and play basketball, that’s what all of these guys are doing. Embrace the process and enjoy the bigger opportunity you’ll have, but let’s not get lost in the results. Let’s just focus on the process. That’s what I’ve been talking to all of these guys about.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
