Bronny James finished last season looking like he had finally found his footing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Six months later, he is searching for playing time again.
The Lakers assigned James to the Coachella Valley Lakers on Thursday, ahead of their NBA G League season opener Friday against the Salt Lake City Stars.
The move comes after a frustrating start to James’ third NBA season, his first without father LeBron James as a teammate.
James showed encouraging progress last spring, earning meaningful rotation minutes during the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
But with a healthy backcourt and his father now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, the 22-year-old guard has struggled to carve out a role under coach JJ Redick.
Bronny James Returns to G League After Limited Lakers Minutes
James has appeared in five games for the Lakers this season, averaging just 0.8 points in 2.5 minutes.
His opportunities have largely come in brief appearances, leaving little room to establish an offensive rhythm.
The contrast with last spring is striking.
When Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered injuries late in the 2025-26 regular season, James moved into Redick’s rotation.
He carried that opportunity into the playoffs against Houston, appearing in five games as the Lakers won the series in six.
James averaged seven minutes and two points during the opening round.
His most memorable performance came in Game 3, when he scored five points in 26 seconds, including a 3-pointer off a screen from LeBron and a reverse layup.
The father-son duo also made NBA history in Game 1, becoming the first such pairing to appear together in a playoff game.
Bronny Faces New Challenge Without LeBron
LeBron’s offseason departure for Philadelphia ended two seasons of the NBA’s first father-son partnership.
For Bronny, it also meant navigating his professional career without his father’s daily presence in the Lakers’ locker room.
At September’s media day, James acknowledged the adjustment while expressing confidence in his ability to contribute independently.
“I think I did play my role pretty well in the Houston series, and that’s something I can grow off of,” James said.
He identified defense, secondary ballhandling and creating opportunities for teammates as areas he hoped to build upon.
However, those opportunities have been difficult to find early this season.
Bronny Looks to Rediscover G League Success
James has previously demonstrated that he can produce with consistent minutes in the G League.
During the 2025-26 regular season, he averaged 15.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting an impressive 45.6% from 3-point range.
He also owns a G League career-high 31 points, established against the Rip City Remix in January 2025.
Those performances showed flashes of the scoring and playmaking ability the Lakers hoped to develop when they selected him 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Now, James returns to a familiar developmental environment under a new name.
The former South Bay Lakers relocated to Coachella Valley ahead of this season and will make their home debut Friday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.
James’ assignment does not remove him from Los Angeles’ NBA roster.
Instead, it provides something he has lacked through the opening weeks: meaningful minutes.
After making history alongside his father last spring, Bronny faces another challenge in establishing an NBA identity of his own.
Lakers Make Bronny James Decision After Woeful Start to 3rd Season