Bronny James has never had as good of an opportunity to quiet the criticism as he does right now with the Los Angeles Lakers. His path to playing time has been paved, and the perfect chance to prove he belongs is here.
Gabe Vincent will miss several weeks, working his way back from an ankle injury. JJ Redick does not have a player on his roster to replace his presence in anything close to an ideal shape or form. What Redick does have is James.
There is no real offensive pressure here for Bronny to overextend himself past beyond what his capabilities are. The Lakers really just need him to come in, play minutes, defend well, and bury the open shots that will be available to him.
A lot of critics continue to say that Bronny does not meet the caliber of an NBA player. The time to challenge that belief is now for the Lakers second-year guard.
Lakers need toughness, defense, and timely shooting from Bronny James
Thus far, Bronny has not given Los Angeles much this season. In three appearances, James has yet to score a bucket in 9.3 minutes per game off the bench.
The most disappointing outing came against the Portland Trail Blazers. With plenty of bodies banged up and on the injury report, James saw nearly 20 minutes coming in as a reserve.
What did that culminate in? Zero points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, three turnovers, and three personal fouls.
There are parts of that appearance which look promising. However, for a guy playing over 19 minutes off the bench, one would really hope for more than 0-of-2 from the field.
James needs to loosen up and take the offensive opportunities when they come. They will never be under less scrutiny than they will be right now. Even with missing personnel, defenses won't be rushing over to slow him down. Find a good opening, take the shot, be comfortable with the process over the result, and do it all over again.
Ready for Camp 🏕️ #sblakers pic.twitter.com/xA1NwtvuzT
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) October 29, 2025
Los Angeles made a definitive statement about James' immediate future when they announced their training camp roster for the South Bay Lakers. Bronny was nowhere to be found.
That should mean the Lakers are confident enough to see him mostly around at the NBA level, ready and available to contribute when the situation calls for it. That time is now, and Bronny needs to be capable of maximizing it to change his narrative.