Bronny James made his NBA debut Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Lakers in the team’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Checking into the game at the same time as his famous father, LeBron James Sr., the younger James played three minutes — going 0/1 from the floor with one rebound.
While not expected to play a ton of minutes on this team, it was noteworthy to see him out on the floor. It became the first time a father-son duo ever suited up together in an NBA game. Moving forward with that spectacle out of the way, people are wondering whether James will indeed stick with the main roster.
While the Lakers don’t have exceptional depth, James realistically will not be playing over Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, or Dalton Knecht. Sitting on the bench won’t really help his game develop much. As such, what are the Lakers going to do with the second-round pick?
According to a report Friday afternoon, a plan has officially been put into place. ESPN insiders Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin indicated that James will be on the team’s upcoming road trip. This is noteworthy because it includes a game versus the Cavs in his family’s home state of Ohio.
Once the road trip concludes, James will then reportedly toggle back and forth between the Lakers and the G-League affiliate. Essentially, picking Bronny was a sign of respect for his father. He doesn’t quite look ready to play heavy NBA minutes. By working on his craft in the G-League, Bronny can get better without the pressure of living up to any sort of real expectation.
From a Lakers’ perspective, getting the home game appearance ‘out of the way’ now makes sense, and giving Bronny the chance to play in his home state versus his father’s old team is another way to pay homage to LeBron Sr.
