The Lakers selected Bronny James with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and he will reportedly sign a multiyear guaranteed contract.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly shocking that Los Angeles decided to select the son of their franchise player. It also isn’t surprising that Bronny was able to get a roster spot in Los Angeles.
Most second-round picks selected in the range when Bronny heard his name called usually start their professional careers on a two-way contract with the flexibility to play in the NBA or the G League.
But his agent, Rich Paul, spoke on the record to say that Klutch Sports wasn’t willing to accept a two-way contract for the former USC freshman guard.
Paul also reportedly told rival front offices that if they drafted Bronny before the Lakers were on the clock, then the 19-year-old would instead spend next season playing in Australia.
However, especially since the draft became two rounds, it is hardly common for players selected at No. 55 overall or other young late second-rounders to get very much playing time early in their careers.
Instead, we can still expect Bronny to spend the majority of time next season in the G League playing for the South Bay Lakers.
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It is much easier for Bronny to do that with the Lakers than he would with other teams. For example, if he were selected by the Miami Heat, he would split his time in Florida and in South Dakota (which is where their G League teams plays).
But the Lakers host their G League team at their practice facility in Los Angeles, so it is a much easier to go up and down from the NBA to the G League.
Even last season, the Lakers used a first-round pick to Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17 overall. As a rookie, even though he also had a roster spot, he logged 109 minutes in the NBA but 530 in the G League.
We can expect Bronny will have a similar path during his first professional campaign, spending the majority of his time with the South Bay affiliate and not with the NBA roster.
Perhaps he will play a few minutes alongside his father to have that historic moment. But the G League is definitively where Bronny belongs at first for his long-term development.
