Bronny James has been on a strong developmental path since he was selected No. 55 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft. While it was clear from early minutes in the NBA last season that he wasn’t quite ready, he made massive strides in the G League, and the difference between his Summer League showings in 2024 and 2025 proved that completely.
Now, the Lakers have an intriguing decision ahead. Their guard rotation is relatively locked in with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent. But injuries happen, and getting through an 82-game season requires more than just four players at the guard position.
That is why Lakers assistant Nate McMillan, who recently appeared on “The Sports Shop” with Reese and K-Mac, believes that Bronny might be in line to get real rotational minutes this season:
“We’ve seen a lot of growth from year one. He had, I thought, a really good Summer League this year. A young guy like that coming in with this type of pressure that he came into the league with last year was unbelievable. When we played in the Las Vegas Summer League last year and this year, his games were sold out to see him. The fanbase has really, I think for the most part, been really supportive of him. He spent a lot of time in the G League this season and I really feel that helped him because when he came out into this Summer League…you could see the confidence. He was much more relaxed than he was last year. Everybody would have been as nervous as can be last season but he was much more relaxed this season. His shot was never broken but the confidence, you could see he was knocking down those shots, getting to the basket. Defensively, we wanted him to challenge himself to pick up the ball…I love Bronny. Great young man and we expect him to possibly get some minutes this year.”
One thing that has been consistent about Bronny over his time with the Lakers is the way that players and coaches have praised his work ethic and his character. Those are high-value traits that will earn players some extra opportunities to prove their growth on the court.
And James has undoubtedly grown on the court over the last year. Now, with an opportunity to get into the rotation, will he continue to show that growth? McMillan certainly believes it, and knows Bronny will have the chance to show it.
Bronny James reveals highlight of rookie season
No rookie in the NBA faced more scrutiny this past season than 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.”
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