The Lakers' road trip gets underway Saturday evening as they face the Celtics in Boston, but they'll be without rookie Bronny James for the matchup. The team announced they've assigned the 19-year-old guard to their G League affiliate ahead of the high-powered contest.
While the Lakers prepare for their Eastern Conference rivals, Bronny will suit up for the South Bay Lakers as they host the Motor City Cruise. Since January 15, the Lakers have been the NBA's hottest team with a remarkable 20-4 record, fueling their current eight-game winning streak that has propelled them to the Western Conference's No.2 seed at 40-21.
By comparing Bronny's NBA vs. G League numbers, we can clearly see why the Lakers made this decision. In seven G League regular season appearances, James is averaging an impressive 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 43.8% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range. Those stats stand in stark contrast to his NBA production, where the former USC guard has managed just 1.4 points per contest on 25.8% shooting and 20.0% from beyond the arc across 18 games.
This G League assignment will provide Bronny with substantial playing time that simply isn't available at the NBA level, especially as the Lakers continue their remarkable midseason turnaround. Since mid-January, no team in the league has been hotter than the Lakers, who have transformed from a team hovering around .500 into a legitimate title contender.
Following their Boston showdown, the Lakers continue their road trip with visits to Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Denver before returning to Crypto.com Arena on March 16 to host the Phoenix Suns. At this point, it remains unclear whether Bronny will rejoin the team or not at any point during this critical stretch of games.
As the Lakers attempt to extend their winning streak against the defending champions, they'll rely on the veteran core that has fueled their remarkable late-season resurgence. Meanwhile, Bronny gets another valuable opportunity to develop his game at a level where he can truly showcase his abilities.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 9:10 AM.