Bronny James comes into Year 3 of his NBA career with the specter of LeBron James‘ shadow looming. He will now be the lone James on the Los Angeles Lakers roster and enters a pivotal season when development and usage will be lingering questions.
As LeBron heads east, joining the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers, Bronny will for the first time test the NBA landscape without his dad in the locker room. The decision to part ways with the Lakers ignited ongoing speculation that the father-son tandem might be a package deal. And, the possibility that L.A. might trade Bronny continued to be a talking point.
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During a radio appearance on the Brock and Alex Show on 97.1 The Fan LA in July, California Post reporter Khobi Price, spoke about James’ situation in the wake of LeBron going to the 76ers.
“Now, what I want to make clear is that the Lakers are more than happy to keep Bronny James,” Price reported on the show.
“They’ve drafted him in the second round two years ago. They developed him. They’re a fan of him. He has a lot of people who like him within the building,” Price continued.
It’s clear the Lakers are interested in keeping Bronny as a 3-and-D player on the roster. But how might he work his way into a crowded, new-look lineup?
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The stats over his first two seasons certainly tell a tale of a player who has made slow but steady progress both in efficiency and usage. Here is how James has developed across the stat line two years in.
Bronny James Stats
|
Season |
GP |
Minutes/Game |
FG% |
3P% |
PTS |
|
2024-25 |
27 |
6.7 |
31.3 |
28.1 |
2.3 |
|
2025-26 |
42 |
8.9 |
40.9 |
38.6 |
2.9 |
James saw an increase in minutes and games played in his Year 2 campaign. But, he also spent time in the G-League, showing improvement in shooting efficiency there as well.
While his minutes played for the South Bay Lakers decreased from 34.2 to 26.7, he managed to show his growth offensively. Both his field goal and 3-point percentage went up from 44.3% to 56.4% and 38% to 45.6%, respectively. Though it should be noted that his volume decreased in that span, shooting roughly 10 times a game last season compared to the nearly 18 shots he was getting up in his rookie campaign.
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James’ development is certainly reason to be optimistic, but hardly assures minutes during the season. With the additions of Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes and stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in the backcourt, James will be hard-pressed to see action on the floor.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bronny James faces pivotal Lakers season without LeBron on roster
