Getty LeBron James and Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers on defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has become an afterthought after he missed the team’s last five games and his G League assignment because of a left heel contusion.
The Lakers announced the son of LeBron James will sit out at least one more week, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“Bronny James’ left heel contusion was examined by team doctors Friday, per the Lakers. It was determined to be healing, so Bronny will begin his ramp-up process and be re-evaluated in a week,” McMenamin wrote in a post on X.
Though the news has no significant impact on the Lakers, who will embark on a four-game road trip beginning on December 1 in Utah, it has slowed down Bronny James’ development.
He’s already missed his last three G League assignments, which is a critical component in the Lakers’ player development program.
Bronny James’ first two games in the G League had been disastrous.
The 55th overall pick only averaged 5.0 points on a horrendous 21.1% shooting on the floor while missing all his three 3-point attempts with the South Bay Lakers. He also put up 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists against 3.0 assists.
His defense though continues to be his best attribute. In those two games in the G League, he averaged 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks. South Bay, however, has been outscored by an average of 4.0 points per 100 possessions when Bronny James was on the court.
The 19-year-old rookie has appeared in five NBA games, including the historic moment with LeBron as the first father-son tandem to play in the same NBA game, totaling only 16 minutes.
Bronny James has only scored four points so far in his very young NBA career on a rough 1-of-6 shooting.
NBA Insider Slams Lakers G League Plan for Bronny James
Bronny James is only scheduled to play for the South Bay Lakers during their home games, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, which he criticized in the “The Hoop Collective” podcast.
“I don’t know whose idea it was, but obviously, the Lakers are fine with it,” Windhorst said. “They’re doing it. In this particular instance, I think that’s gone too far, and I don’t think it benefits Bronny. I don’t think it benefits the South Bay Lakers, and I don’t think it benefits LeBron at this point.”
Bronny James could benefit from more game reps in the G League rather than warming up the Lakers bench and waiting for cameo appearances in blowout games.
Unlike the NBA teams, the G League teams are flying commercial, which could have factored into the Lakers’ decision.
Bronny James has become an attraction since his NBA Summer League debut. The South Bay Lakers home games in which Bronny James played were sold out.
Bronny James Wasn’t ‘NBA-Ready’
The Lakers signed Bronny James to a four-year, $7.9 million rookie deal on the same day his father reached a two-year, $104 million max deal.
Bronny is due to receive $1,157,143 this season.
Normally, second-round selections need to impress in the Summer League and in the training camp to earn rookie contracts.
Of the last five No. 55 picks before Bronny, only Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos managed to earn a multi-year rookie deal with $75,000 partially guaranteed, which he signed after one year in the G League.
Kyle Guy (2019), Jay Scrubb (2020), Aaron Wiggins (2021) and Isaiah Wong (2023) only got two-way contracts in their first year.
But Bronny was far from impressive in the NBA Summer League despite the hype surrounding him.
He wasn’t “NBA-ready,” according to multiple people inside the league and observers, including Laker legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
“He’s just not ready,” Johnson said on the Jimmy Kimmel Show in September. “He needs to develop more, and then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills, but he needs to develop those skills at a much better clip if he wants to play 15-20 minutes a night in the NBA or more.”
And Bronny’s initial outings in both the NBA and G League proved Johnson was right.
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