Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has split his rookie season between the NBA and the G League, and unfortunately for him, that’s prevented him from finding any sort of consistency.
While some would argue that any minutes James gets in the NBA are valuable, others believe he would be better served by being allowed to stay in one league or the other where he can get steady playing time and not have to worry about trotting back and forth between the two leagues.
James’ agent Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, is among that group. During a recent appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, Paul made it known how he feels about the G League and the undervalued role it plays in the development of young players, and he essentially stopped just short of begging the Lakers to leave James in the G League for the rest of the season.
“NBA minutes are NBA minutes, but he needs the reps, right?” former NBA player and “Gil’s Arena” host Kenyon Martin asked.
“[He needs the reps] in the G League, absolutely,” Paul responded.
Paul also pointed out that while the near 72 minutes James has seen in the NBA — in which he’s scored 23 points and logged eight assists, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks — has been a valuable learning experience for the 20-year-old point guard, he also advocated for the Lakers (and every other NBA team) letting players like James develop in the G League uninterrupted.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
“The G League for today has a much better development criteria to it, and if you look at the draft, we’ve had pretty much everybody from the third pick in the draft to the last pick in the draft, have some time in the G League,” Paul added.
“I represent Dejounte Murray. [He] played a full season in the G League and was the starting point guard in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors — that’s development. … I embrace the G League.”
Paul stated his belief that most rookies and younger players simply aren’t ready to start in the NBA right away, which is why he stated he tells most teams interested in his clients that he prefers them to go to the G League first.
“The problem that we got is, most people don’t understand…when you get your opportunity in most cases, you’re underdeveloped,” Paul said. “In the NBA, the issue is those opportunities don’t come around a multiple of times, so when you see a young man leaving college to go play in the league, what’s he’s betting is, ‘I’m going to be ready when I get my opportunity.’ In most cases, that’s not the case.”
While James has split his time between the two leagues, it’s clear he’s thrived more when he’s been given consistent playing time and a bigger offensive role.
In 12 G League games with the South Beach Lakers, James is averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while playing 29.6 minutes per night.