Bronny James Was ‘A Lot Better in April’ — Insider Suggests Lakers Eyeing Bigger Role for Youngster Next Season

Bronny James’ rookie season with the Lakers didn’t meet expectations, marking a challenging start to his pro basketball journey. However, the shooting guard is expected to be given a more defined role next season.

The 20-year-old who was the 55th overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft had a lot of doubters given his college basketball stats. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the USC Trojans. Many critics argued Bronny didn’t belong in the NBA, suggesting his presence was solely due to being LeBron’s son.

However, contrary to the belief, Bronny James had a fine start in the beginning for the Lakers. His first few months turned out to be impressive. But the guard soon fell out of form and out of the side as well. He was sent to the G league for further development.

It was there that hope reignited, especially in the later stages of the season. Bronny James averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks for the South Bay Lakers. This was a stark improvement from his numbers with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged just over two points.

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April Improvement Revives Bronny James’ Prospects

A Western Conference executive believes that despite an inconsistent start for Bronny James with the LA Lakers, he will get a more defined role next season. The executive whose identity remains hidden suggested that the 20-year-old has shown massive improvements in the last few months.

He said, “I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s their (Lakers) plan. I know the guy gets a lot of grief because of who his dad is, but we’ve seen a lot of tape on (Bronny) and the fact is, he was a lot better player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July.”

He added, “He’s 20 years old. He had a whole year where his development was thrown all out of whack. But he can defend the perimeter, and he showed he can shoot the 3. If he can show that wasn’t a fluke, he is going to start getting 10, 15 minutes a night because the team is going to feel like they can trust him. I think he is going to do all that. He is going to be a regular for them next year.”

Bronny James will also have a whole summer ahead of him to further develop his game. Another Lakers’ star, Luka Doncic has already started preparing for the next season with a visible drop in his overall weight. Similarly, Bronny James will also work on his body to better suit with his play.