The Lakers will ease Bronny into action with a careful development plan.
In a guest appearance on the Pat McAfee show, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed the latest intel surrounding LeBron James and Bronny. Despite the pre-season being weeks away, LeBron and his son have been in the lab a ton together and the Lakers have already developed a comprehensive plan for how to ease James Jr. into his new professional role.
“I think they are trying to figure out exactly what that is going to look like. I think it’s going to happen early in the season," said Shams. "What I do know is LeBron James and Bronny James have been through multiple workouts together individually, together, in small group settings, in full scrimmage settings. They are very much already on the court together and are playing and practicing a lot."
"As training camp ramps up and the Lakers understand how to approach Bronny James’ season, when he’s going to play on the court - it’s a historic moment. It’s going to happen, probably early and allow the history aspect of it that’s never happened in the NBA. Allow history to take shape, to go on, and from there, I think the Lakers can move on to an extent... They don’t know where Bronny James is going to fit into their roster yet. They want to see how training camp goes. Realistically, second-round picks spent time in the G-League. That is going to be part of the full Bronny James development plan.”
The Lakers had two draft picks this summer, one of which they used on former Tenessee star Dalton Knecht. They drafted Bronny with their second pick at 55 overall. James, who came from USC, averaged 4.8 points per game at college and showed flashes of his skill as a shooter, ball handler, and playmaker for the Trojans.
After signing a four-year, $7.9 million rookie contract, Bronny is set to be a Laker until 2028 and he will surely make history with his dad as the first father-son duo in NBA history. But it could take some years before Bronny is a regular part of the Lakers' rotation.
Since it's customary for second-round picks to spend some time in the G-League, we can expect the young baller to see some time there before testing his metal in the NBA. Once he steps on the court with LeBron for the first time, Bronny will move to play for the South Bay Lakers right out of the gate and he may be there until JJ Redick thinks he's ready to earn real minutes.
As it stands, Bronny has a lot of things to work on to improve his game. At his size, and no NBA experience, the best way for James to get better is to get some run time on the court so he can learn from his mistakes and find a playstyle that best suits the Lakers' needs.
In the meantime, LeBron is already taking his son to the gym where they work out and train with full devotion. LeBron has even started trash-talking Bronny like he would any other NBA teammate.
After working so hard to get here, Bronny isn't about to waste this opportunity and that's why the Lakers need to stay committed to a plan that will build up his game slowly and smoothly and set him on the path to success.
