In July, Lakers head coach JJ Redick referred to Bronny James as "a developmental player" who will periodically spend time in the G League as he and his staff sharpen Bronny's skill set for the NBA.
On Wednesday, ESPN insider Zach Lowe guaranteed that Bronny would play in the Lakers' opening game on Oct. 22 just so he and LeBron James can make history as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA.
"He's 100% playing in the opening game so they can have a moment together," Lowe said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" while discussing Bronny. "That's going to happen, so they [can] pass [the ball] to each other or whatever it ends up being."
Simmons argued LeBron and Bronny playing together is both "the coolest" and "the weirdest" NBA story since it was evident during the Summer League that James Jr. wasn't quite ready for the pros. As such, he feels the Lakers could face a lot of backlash for forcibly playing Bronny just to appease LeBron.
"There were already grumblings in the Summer League about how everything was built around trying to get Bronny to succeed," Simmons said, pointing to a story from an anonymous Lakers player who became "very frustrated" when all the attention was on Bronny and not the team at the Las Vegas event.
Earlier in the podcast, Lowe said he'd be "surprised" if Bronny doesn't spend sizable portions of the 2024-2025 season in the G League. However, his guarantee that Bronny will suit up for the Lakers on opening night is likely a sign of the Purple and Gold trying to fast-track the USC product to the NBA.
If the Lakers do go that route, it could seriously backfire. The basketball world will be watching keenly when Los Angeles hosts Minnesota on Oct. 22. If Bronny falls flat on his face, it would only give more ammunition for people citing the Lakers of "nepotism" to turn up the volume.
The Lakers are likely better off easing Bronny into the NBA. Let him get his reps in the G League first.
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