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11 hours ago
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Lakers rookie Bronny James is beginning to find his footing as a pro, but he's still working to carve out a role for himself at the NBA level.
James has turned in a few impressive showings in the NBA G League but has not yet gotten an opportunity to play meaningful minutes with LA's team. Through the first two months of the season, James has played a total of 18 minutes over seven games, with his best performance coming in a blowout loss to Cleveland.
Like most late second-round picks, James is still working to crack LA's regular rotation. And while he is making strides in his development, James is still a ways away from seeing significant NBA minutes on a nightly basis.
Here is more on the situation that faces the 20-year-old and why his limited role shouldn't be viewed as a knock on him or his standing as an NBA player.
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Why is Bronny James not playing for the Lakers?
James is not playing for the Lakers because he is not in the team's rotation. LA's roster has several guards ahead of James on its depth chart.
James is best described as a combo guard capable of playing point guard and shooting guard. He is one of eight players the Lakers list as a guard on their roster, making playing time harder to come by.
As for carving a role in the rotation, James is competing against point guards with more experience and shooting guards with a clear size advantage.
James has noticeably assumed more point guard duties in the G League and has been more aggressive in looking for his shot. He won't take on a carbon copy of that role at the NBA level, but he must first prove to be consistently effective as a creator in the G League before he is trusted with meaningful NBA minutes.
Through seven games in the G League, James is averaging 13.4 points and 3.4 assists on .374/.212/.667 shooting splits.
MORE: JJ Redick reveals hurdle Bronny James needs to clear for NBA career to take off
Lakers depth chart
The Lakers' roster features several players with positional flexibility. As such, a player like Dalton Knecht is listed as a guard but can see minutes at the small forward position because he is 6-6.
LeBron James Sr. is also listed as a forward but spends time running the offense like a point guard, so lineups can feature multiple players who traditionally fit the shooting guard mold.
These lineups make a depth chart harder to flesh out and make playing time harder to come by for Bronny James.
| Position | Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| PG | Austin Reaves | D'Angelo Russell | Bronny James | Quincy Olivari* |
| SG | Max Christie | Gabe Vincent | Jalen Hood-Schifino | |
| SF | Rui Hachimura | Dalton Knecht | Cam Reddish | Maxwell Lewis |
| PF | LeBron James | Armel Traoré* | Jarred Vanderbilt | |
| C | Anthony Davis | Jaxson Hayes | Christian Koloko* | Christian Wood |
*Koloko, Olivari and Traoré are each on a two-way contract, meaning their time is split between the NBA and the NBA G League.
Vanderbilt and Wood have yet to take the floor during the 2024-25 season due to injury.
Bronny James NBA stats
Here are the stats James has amassed up to this point in his NBA career:
| Stat | Total |
| Games | 7 |
| Minutes per game | 2.6 |
| Points per game | 0.6 |
| Rebounds per game | 0.1 |
| Assists per game | 0.3 |
| Steals per game | 0.1 |
| Blocks per game | 0.1 |
| Turnovers per game | 0.0 |
| FG-FGA (%) | 1-8 (12.5%) |
| 3P-3PA (%) | 0-4 (0.0%) |
| FT-FTA (%) | 2-2 (100%) |
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