December 26, 2025
The younger James was denied a start with several players unable to play in a recent game
Los Angeles Lakers’ future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James may have been behind the team’s decision to draft his son, Bronny James, in the 2024 NBA Draft. Still, it seems the team is not necessarily behind playing the younger James, opting not to start the second-year player in a recent game.
According to Lake Show Life, the writing may be on the wall regarding head coach JJ Redick’s decision to start Nick Smith Jr. instead of Bronny in a recent game when Luka Dončić and Gabe Vincent were unavailable. Although Bronny signed a guaranteed contract and regularly rotates between playing in the G League (South Bay Lakers) and sitting at the end of the Lakers’ bench, Smith, who was picked up in September after being cut by the Charlotte Hornets, was chosen over him.
The writer surmises that Bronny only plays when the Lakers are carrying a considerable lead and resting the starters, or when the team is already losing and is bound to lose. That’s usually when Bronny is allowed off the bench, unless he’s playing with the South Bay Lakers (where his play this season is not doing him any favors).
For anyone to have a guaranteed contract, the stats don’t match, and there’s no reason to accept that he was given, not just a deal, but one that means they have to pay him for it. He is averaging a paltry 1.8 points, with 1.4 assists, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.6 steals, and shooting 32.4%, 29.4% from 3-point range, while playing 9 minutes a game in the 16 games he has been inserted in this season.
Last season, in 27 games, those numbers were 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 31.3% from the field, 28.1% from 3-point range. The numbers don’t seem to be trending upward, casting doubt that nepotism is the only reason he was selected, given a guaranteed contract, and remains on the team.
Even in garbage time, he is unable to pad his stats, which only makes his situation worse in the eyes of basketball fans. With LeBron possibly playing his last season (at least in a Lakers uniform), where would this leave Bronny once his father is no longer a Laker?
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