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When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, many fans expected him to spend most of his rookie season developing in the G League. But then the Lakers gave him a guaranteed contract and kept him around to start the NBA regular season.
After a handful of games where he looked extremely out of place, LA did eventually send Bronny to the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate. However that move came with a catch, the 20-year-old son of LeBron James will only play home games for South Bay. Otherwise, he’ll return to the NBA while the G League team is traveling.
Bronny has since made a pair of appearances for South Bay, and the results have been anything but encouraging. He scored just six points and shot 22 percent from the field during his first appearance with the team on Nov. 9. His second appearance wasn’t any better. Bronny finished with four points on 2-of-10 shooting in a 127-122 loss. He also notched two rebounds, two assists and a block.
Bronny’s 2nd game in the G League
4 PTS (2/10 FG), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 BLK in 26 MINSpic.twitter.com/NX2nIlj2t1
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 18, 2024
South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie was honest in his assessment of Bronny’s difficult start.
“It’s about competing at a high level and playing the right way,” he said. “We need to raise our collective intensity on the ball. It’s hard when you haven’t played at a high level your whole life, you have to learn to be physical, dictate the pace, and adapt to modern offenses. In the G League, there are no days off; every possession matters.”
For comparison’s sake, two-time NBA Dunk contest champion Mac McClung was the 2024 G League MVP. McClung, however, has struggled to stick on an NBA roster.
Bronny is still just 20 years old. But it’s becoming harder and harder to see a valid path to becoming a viable NBA player each time he hits the court for a professional game.