The Lakers made their call on Bronny James before the LeBron situation came into focus, and that timing has only sharpened the scrutiny around his place in the league.
On June 29, Los Angeles let the deadline pass without waiving Bronny, which locked in his $2.3 million salary for 2026-27. Then, a day later, LeBron James informed the team he would not be back for a ninth season in Los Angeles, with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers both believed to be in the mix for him this summer.
That sequence left one obvious question hanging over Bronny: what does his roster spot look like without his father in the picture? Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey didn’t dance around it.
He wrote, “Has Bronny James Proved He's an NBA Player?-right now, is no. He hasn't yet. In fact, the numbers suggest he probably won't be.
He added, “But he's only 21. Plenty of eventual rotation players hadn't proved themselves at that age. If the Lakers can harness his athleticism and the skills he's shown in the G-League, he still has a chance to stick.”
The numbers Bailey pointed to are hard to ignore. In 69 NBA games across two seasons, Bronny has averaged 2.7 points and 1.1 assists while shooting 34.8 percent from deep. His minus-5.2 box plus/minus (BPM) also puts him in a very small group of players age 21 and under who have logged that much time with that little production.
This isn’t a new conversation for Bronny. Skepticism has followed him from the start because of who his father is, and Jaylen Brown was even caught on a hot mic at Summer League saying he didn’t think Bronny was a pro. Bronny has yet to quiet that noise with consistent NBA production.
At the same time, his G-League work has shown more. He has averaged 15.6 points and 3.6 assists there, a level of volume he hasn’t been able to match in limited NBA minutes. Scouts also still see value in his raw tools, including a 40.5-inch vertical and a 6-foot-7.25-inch wingspan.
The Lakers’ decision to guarantee his contract suggests the organization still sees something worth betting on. He has time to keep developing. But for now, Bailey’s conclusion is the one that hangs in the air: Bronny’s game still has to catch up to the promise.
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