Bronny James made his G League road debut Thursday night for the South Bay Lakers, and it looks like all he needed was a little time away from home. James scored 30 points and added three rebounds and two assists in by far the best performance of his young professional career.
Despite James’ big night, the Lakers fell to the Valley Suns, 106-100.
It didn’t take long for the 20-year-old James to get going, as he showed off his outside shot with a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes. In all, he displayed an impressive offensive arsenal that included flying for an alley-oop. So far this season he is averaging 14 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the G League.
After a brief freshman season at USC, in which he never caught on following his return from a heart issue, James declared for 2024. NBA Draft. Unsurprisingly, he was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the second round and signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract.
On opening night, he attended the Lakers’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves with his father, LeBron James, and in doing so They became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together.. They later played together in Cleveland when the Lakers faced the Cavaliers and Bronny scored the first points of his career with a jumper in the fourth quarter. However, otherwise, Bronny has only received garbage minutes in the NBA. There is no expectation of that changing this season.
Bronny, who was recently sidelined with a heel issue, will see most of his playing time in the G League, although there is no definitive plan.
“That’s going to be fluid,” South Bay Lakers president Joey Buss told ESPN. “We’re going to do what’s best for their development. There will be a lot of things we’ll do for all of the assigned players, and decisions will be made based on where they are, the status of their injuries, how many bodies they need to practice. There are a lot of variables.” “So nothing unique for Bronny, he’s just in that system.”
Earlier in the season, reports indicated that Bronny would only play in home games with the South Bay Lakers, whose home stadium also serves as NBA team practice facility. Obviously, the organization has reversed course on that decision, although it’s still unclear when or if Bronny will hit the road again.
