Third-year NBA guard Bronny James started for the Los Angeles Lakers during the team’s second preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, and though he’s not projected to have that role during the regular season, the young guard continued to make his case for why he deserves to be in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
James put up four points and five assists in 21 minutes and showed flashes of becoming a solid defensive option and potential playmaker for the Lakers this season.
He didn’t stand out at a major level, but James appears to be proving himself over other potential cut candidates like Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, as he’s hopeful to secure his spot on the roster and rotation over those two, and even a few other players on the team.
Bronny James Gets Key Status Update After Lakers Preseason Game vs Warriors
Speaking on his show after the Lakers’ preseason loss to the Warriors, Jovan Buha believes James is slowly carving out a role over rookie Cameron Carr as the team’s third option at the point guard position.
“So with no Luka, Ziaire, or Matisse, Jake, Adou, and Bronny get the start. Bronny, to me, projects as the third-string point guard behind Luka as the starter, Sexton as the backup, and the Lakers will mix in Austin, who will be a primary ball handler with Luka on the floor, but also especially when Luka goes off the floor,” he said.
“But Bronny gets the start as the primary ball handler. And then Jake and Adou get the starts with no Matisse and no Ziaire as the backup wing. So I think that clearly … shows where those guys are at in the pecking order relative to Cameron Carr, relative to Vando.”
James did play a relatively significant amount of minutes due to the Lakers sidelining so many of their other key players. But while he took on the main ball-handling role at points during the preseason game, questions remain about him in that type of role.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Tyler Watts believes the Lakers are ‘mishandling’ James, and that he’s better suited for a defensive-minded role rather than one that sees him with the ball in his hands more often than not.
“Bronny wants to be a point guard, and head coach JJ Redick mentioned James when talking about trusting the offense to a handful of players. The Lakers clearly view him as a point guard, but they shouldn’t,” he wrote. “James shouldn’t be the primary creator. He should always be playing next to an alpha and leverage his playmaking when the defense forgets about him.”
If that is the case, and the Lakers move James off the ball and have him focus on shooting and defense rather than playmaking, that could be a better plan for long-term success.
Los Angeles’ Guard Could Be Better Suited For Different Rotation Role
Going off Watts’ claim, Buha also believes James has a strong chance at getting more minutes this season by focusing on how he can help on the defensive end of the floor.
“If Bronny is playing, he’s gonna be out there for his defense, and he’s gonna be a second-side guy just catching and shooting, potentially attacking closeouts,” he added. “He’s not gonna be bringing the ball up the floor that much running the offense. That’s going to be Luka, Austin, and Collin Sexton.”
Through his career, though nothing immediately jumps off the page, James has proven himself as a solid defender. He’s a bit undersized, but with his athleticism and basketball IQ, there’s a real chance he could find himself as a key piece of the rotation playing in the backcourt with either Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves.
Again, there are still limitations to his game, but if James and the Lakers want to give him the best shot to impact winning, perhaps sliding into more of a ‘help’ role is better for everyone, rather than forcing him to run the offense with the other reserves.
For now, the Lakers’ preseason games are giving Redick a chance to see how he looks in a few different spots. There’s no guarantee he sees a role as big as he played on Tuesday night against the Warriors at any point during the regular season, but that’s exactly what the exhibition matchups are supposed to help team’s decide on.
Regardless, as Buha said, it appears James is making a strong case to jump up in the rotation. He’s likely going to get more minutes than Knecht, Hardy, and Carr, and could be the fourth guard Redick plays behind Doncic, Reaves, and Sexton.
If that is the case, that’s clear evidence James has taken a leap and is poised to at least keep his hopes of having a long NBA career alive.
Bronny James Gets Unexpected Lakers Status Update After Warriors Game