Bronny James has been called up from the Los Angeles Lakers’ G League affiliate to join the NBA team for Monday’s matchup versus the Detroit Pistons. The move was made Sunday night, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
James is averaging 13.4 points (shooting 21% on 3s), 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in seven games for the South Bay Lakers. In two games in Orlando for the G League Winter Showcase, he averaged 11 points, four rebounds and six assists.
A primary reason for James being called up might be that South Bay doesn’t have another game until Friday. (Its next home game is Jan. 7.) Playing time is key in his development, so getting him some minutes — even if only a few — during the Lakers’ next two games could be viewed as beneficial.
Additionally, the Lakers may just need some extra bodies. Bronny’s father LeBron is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report with left foot injury management.
The initial plan for James was reportedly that he would not play in road games for South Bay. However, he’s played in the team’s past four games — two in Phoenix on Thursday and Friday, followed by two in Orlando on Saturday and Sunday.
Bronny James doing it all!
Back to back assists to find his teammates, and then gets rewarded with a wide open 3 for himself 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9wswSYwixQ
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) December 19, 2024
Getting called up to the Lakers is not necessarily an endorsement of James’ recent play in the G League. The consensus among scouts is that the 20-year-old rookie still needs to work on many aspects of his game, Stein reports.
“The unanimous view I heard from watching scouts at the Showcase is that James needs as much time as he can get in the G League,” Stein reported, “to improve all aspects of his point guard play, from his floor game to (especially) his ability to make shots.”
Bronny has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left heel, and the Lakers have been particularly cautious with the injury because he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the same leg when he was in high school.
Earlier this season, Bronny appeared in seven games with Los Angeles, averaging 0.6 points and 0.3 assists in 2.6 minutes per contest.
