The Los Angeles Lakers are treating Bronny James like a point guard, but the 21-year-old might not be best suited for that role, and the decision to put the ball in his hands could come back to haunt the franchise later on this year.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick and James himself have both insisted the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer will be playing a ball-handling role this season when he’s on the court. However, based on all the evidence, the 6’2″ guard likely isn’t suited for that role at the professional level, and, at least according to one team writer, should have a very different set of responsibilities when he checks into games in the upcoming season.
Through his 69 total games in his first two years in the NBA, James has averaged 1.1 assists. His other stats might not jump off the page either, but the Lakers could be digging themselves in a hole by giving the guard the job of bringing the ball up the floor.
Lakers Sent Harsh Warning About Bronny James Point Guard Decision
James has made it clear that he believes he’s a ball-handler for the Lakers this season.
“That is what a point guard is. You’ve got to be talking to your guys. You’ve got to be helping people get to where they need to be, and I am taking pride in that for sure. If anyone is out, I need to be the guy to step up, be the primary ball-handler, and get my guys in the right spots. So, I got to lock in on that,” he said after a recent training camp practice.
The franchise as a whole, including Redick, has echoed that sentiment as well.
However, according to Tyler Watts of LakeShowLife.com, James is not suited for the point guard position and should rather be focusing on his shooting and defense rather than taking on the responsibility of running the offense and finding his teammates for open shots.
“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 the Lakers take this gamble and don’t prepare James in the role he’s best-suited to fill, it could be bad news for both sides. Los Angeles would be wasting valuable minutes, while the player won’t have a chance to prove his worth in the NBA.
The Lakers are taking a risk by putting James in a point guard role, one that could come back to bite them if the third-year guard doesn’t take a big leap in performance this season.
“The Lakers need Bronny to consistently knock down jumpers and make the right plays. Defending 94 feet is another way to make an impact. Those little things are more valuable to Los Angeles than James being the lead ball-handler and creator when he’s on the floor. Bronny is a role player and has to embrace his spot,” Watts added. “He clearly views himself in the (point guard) role, but that shouldn’t matter.”
LeBron James’ Son Still Has Uncertain Lakers Status, Trade Can’t Be Ruled Out
As things stand now, James is still very low on the depth chart. The Lakers did guarantee his contract for this season, but that was right before his father skipped town in unrestricted free agency.
Through his first two NBA seasons, James has averaged just 8.1 minutes per game, failing to become a consistent name in Redick’s lineup since he was picked late in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
James was a name previously expected to be one of the final cuts for the Lakers heading into the regular season, and though he now appears safe on the roster for now, there’s no guarantee he’s still on the team this time next year, or even next month.
According to Heavy.com’s NBA insider Sean Deveney, rival teams have taken notice of James, and if the Lakers are willing to offer him up for something in return, there is a real chance he’s traded sometime soon.
“Other teams have taken notice of James, too, though. The Lakers will need to drop one player from the roster, and the presumption–rightly–is that it’s likely to be Dalton Knecht. But don’t rule outa Bronny James trade, not because the Lakers are seeking to dump him but because he could bring in draft assets–even a second rounder or two, which is what James would bring,” he wrote in a recent roundup of NBA trade rumors.
For now, James remains on the Lakers roster. Still, his role for the upcoming season is a big question mark. If he does play in a point guard role, the spotlight will be greater than ever before for a young player attempting only to further his career in the league, which might not be the right move for anybody involved.
Lakers Sent Harsh Warning After ‘Mishandling’ Bronny James Decision