The Lakers, champions in the bubble back in 2020, have struggled to recapture their winning ways, finishing with a 47-35 they were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets for the second year in a row, this time in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the strong performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis who should be whom the lakers should be building the team around as he finished this season with 76 games started, the most in his career and averaging over 24 Points per game and over 12 Rebounds per game.
As for Bronny, a 6-foot-4, 210-point guard, who has shown sparkles but lacks the statistics to justify a high draft pick. With just 4.8 points per game on 36.6% shooting, along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in over 19 minutes, selecting him at 17th overall (where the Lakers currently stand) would be seen as a significant reach. However, waiting until the 55th pick might not be feasible, as other teams could potentially select him earlier.
The current Lakers roster and LeBron’s age present challenges for Bronny to immediately join the team and make an impact, maybe go to the G-League? if selected.
It may be wiser for the Lakers and for Lebron to select a player with more immediate impact potential or explore trade for players who have been linked before such as Dejounte Murray, Donovan Mitchell or Zach Lavine. Bronny could potentially end up on another team and work towards playing alongside his father in the near future all depends on where Bron wants to finish his career.
As told Bronny could be seen as a failure for the Lakers if he does not develop into a star player. With the level of competition in the NBA steadily rising and young players emerging as superstars, the Lakers would need Bronny to not only match but exceed these rising talents to compete at the highest level again. The pressure to win now, coupled with the uncertainty of Bronny’s potential, could add a layer of complexity and risk to the Lakers’ decision-making process.
Bronny James has been selected to participate in the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, however, the decision of whether the Lakers should draft him, and the impact it could have on LeBron’s final years in the league is still worth a complex analysis. The next season could potentially see a father-son duo take the court together, but the decision could have far-reaching implications for both the team’s future success and LeBron’s legacy in the league.
