If you think there’s a realistic chance Bronny James will be a regular rotation player for the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming NBA season, let’s do the obvious thing. Let’s look at the Lakers’ roster. If Bronny James is to play at least eight to 10 minutes a game at the back end of the Laker bench in a mop-up role — probably the most one could possibly expect from him if he is going to play with the Lakers and not primarily in the G League next season — we have to discern if he has a chance of unseating the players currently on the Lakers’ roster.
After the main rotation players — LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, and Jalen Hood-Schifino (and we’re aware that trades could be coming, particularly for Russell) — we begin to get into the conversation surrounding the back end of the Lakers’ roster. Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, and Maxwell Lewis have the lowest salaries of the 12 players listed as current Lakers at Spotrac.
Ask yourself: Is Bronny James — right now — better than Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, or Maxwell Lewis? It’s hard if not impossible to say he is. That, right there, gives you a sense of what Bronny James is up against. He will almost certainly spend the vast majority of his time in the G League for the upcoming basketball season.
Also consider this point: The only ways Bronny James might play 20 minutes in any NBA game next season with the Lakers are basically as follows:
- if there is an injury epidemic on the team
- the Lakers secure their NBA playoff seed in early April, and Bronny plays 25 minutes in Game 81 or 82 while LeBron, AD, Reaves, and the other starters rest up for the playoffs
Plenty of basketball fans and NBA watchers might already know these things, but with a lot of casual sports fans being curious about Bronny James’ Laker career and NBA journey, it’s good to spell out in detail what Bronny is facing.
Let’s be very clear: The G League is almost certain to be Bronny’s main home for the coming pro basketball season. If you haven’t adjusted to that reality, now is the time to do so.
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