Bronny's work from home arrangement benefits no one
Well, this Hollywood story has officially jumped the shark.
It was one thing to use a late second-round draft pick on Bronny James - there have been far more wasteful uses of draft capital, although players drafted in the 50s rarely secure immediate guaranteed contracts, as James did. I even understood why LeBron's son began the season with the big club, allowing LeBron and Bronny to officially become the first father-son duo in league history on opening night, and paving the way for James to score his first points in his hometown of Cleveland.
It all seemed especially reasonable when the Lakers announced James would report to the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, following Los Angeles' early-season road trip. But the latest report indicates that everyone involved in this charade has lost the plot: James will only play in South Bay's home games, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "He's not getting on United Airlines and going to fly and play in these road games," Windhorst said on "The Hoop Collective" podcast.
That decision won't be well received, and why would it be?
Once the early-season milestones were out of the way, the Lakers should've worked on normalizing this obviously abnormal and unprecedented situation as much as possible. Not for the sake of public opinion, but for James' future as a professional. Lakers head coach JJ Redick cited the rookie as an important developmental player for the franchise, noting that James is the first player the Lakers will get to "mold and develop" under Redick's watch. Yet nothing about this current arrangement seems good for that development.
The preexisting knocks on James' game have been on display in his 16 minutes (of mostly garbage time) scattered across six games. His size (6-foot-2) is an issue, he hasn't been able to create separation with the ball in his hands, and he's missed five of his six shots from the field. In other words: he's clearly not NBA-ready. And that's fine. Most 20-year-olds drafted late in the second round aren't, let alone ones coming off a brief collegiate career derailed by a life-threatening medical emergency.
James' work ethic and coachability are by all accounts commendable, and there are potential 3-and-D skills that can be honed. But he needs professional game reps, not just NBA practice time and courtside pep talks. Those reps will only be available to him in the G League, where James scored six points on 2-of-9 shooting in his debut. He also recorded four assists, three rebounds, two steals, a block, and committed five turnovers in 31 minutes.
On some level, the Lakers must understand this. If the team believed being around the NBA club was more beneficial than G League game action, he wouldn't be going back and forth at all. And spare me any half-baked theories about this being the best of both worlds. Such hybrid arrangements work for more game-ready prospects who just need a little seasoning, not long-term projects like James. 2022 second-round pick Max Christie played 12.5 minutes per game as a rookie for the 2022-23 Lakers (James is playing 2.7), but still suited up for G League road games as part of his 15 assignments to South Bay that year. James isn't as NBA-ready as Christie appeared in his early-season run as a rookie, so what's the difference?
Whatever the reason or intention, this news will be met with an assumption that the rigors of G League road life are beneath him. How will that fly with James' part-time teammates in a league full of grinders trying to scrape their way to the NBA? Or with his peers in the Association who aren't wearing purple and gold-colored glasses?
The Lakers don't owe anyone an explanation, but they also have to accept the tidal wave of criticism coming if they remain silent on the reasons for this.
While it's impossible to know who made the final decision, one can reasonably assume LeBron was at least consulted. And LeBron's primary concern should be his son, not the opinions of others. But even so, a basketball savant of his stature has to know this isn't the ideal setup when Bronny desperately needs development time.
James obviously isn't a typical G Leaguer, and flying commercial would surely present challenges for a young man as famous and recognizable as he is. In addition, G League teams (and some facilities) aren't used to the circus that accompanies a James appearance. But it's certainly doable. Not to evoke the basketball ghost LeBron has spent decades chasing, but Michael Jordan literally rode the bus during his infamous stint as a minor-league baseball player. Sure, that was a simpler time, before social media existed, but the Lakers, South Bay, and the G League could easily figure it out. There's simply no good excuse for this.
Drafting Bronny was a feel-good story, even if there were plenty of cynics who disagreed. Ditto for his opening-night appearance and his bucket in Cleveland. This latest chapter seems like a lose-lose for everyone, though.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA writer.