Bronny James’ rookie season started off historically, as he made his NBA debut in the first game of the season, thus making him and his dad, LeBron James, the first father-son duo to share a court in league history. But since then, the younger James has spent much more time not on the court than actually on it. Through the Los Angeles Lakers’ first 16 games, Bronny James has played in just six for a total of 16 minutes, averaging 2.7 minutes in games in which he takes the court, and just one minute per game across all Lakers games.
While that’s to be expected for a second-round rookie, who was the fourth-to-last player drafted, what hasn’t been expected is the Lakers’ handling of the son of the league’s all-time leading scorer. Most players of James’ draft status would be honing their craft in the G-League, where they’d gain valuable playing time against other professionals. However, the Lakers have decided to play James only in home G-League games, with their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. James is not accompanying the developmental team on any road trips, which further reduces the opportunities that James can take the court.
