[Los Angeles Lakers](https://lakersdaily.com/) guard Bronny James heads into the coming 2025-26 campaign with one season’s worth of NBA experience under his belt. Though the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft wasn’t a mainstay in head coach J.J. Redick’s rotation by any means, he still suited up in 27 of Los Angeles’ 82 games in the 2024-25 regular season and even logged one start.
James is also not far removed from a solid Summer League stint with the storied franchise. Across six games played this summer, he averaged 11.5 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the field. His top scoring performance came when he dropped 18 points against the [Boston Celtics](https://ahnfiredigital.com/category/nba/celtics/) on July 17.
Additionally, James contributed 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal per contest in Summer League.
Let’s go over the best, worst and most likely scenarios regarding how James’ sophomore season in the NBA will play out.
### Best
If all the stars align for James in his second season in the NBA, he will be a vitally important piece and rotational fixture for the Lakers from start to finish.
In this scenario, James kicks off the campaign in a limited, albeit defined, role. He gets anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes of playing time off the pine and finds his footing at the highest level.
The youngster plays well enough to move his way up the pecking order in Redick’s rotation. James proves that the 3-point shooting chops he showed while playing for the South Bay Lakers weren’t a fluke and becomes a valuable floor spacer for Los Angeles. He shoots 36-plus percent from deep on more than three attempts per game on the season.
Not only that, but he stakes his claim as one of the Lakers’ top defensive players along with guard Marcus Smart and regularly makes an impact on that side of the ball. James spends plenty of his time on the court playing alongside guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and helps cover for their defensive lapses.
By the end of the season, James is playing anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes on a game-to-game basis, and the Lakers’ front office sees him as crucially important to the team’s current and future success.
### Worst
There’s also a possibility that James does not show any growth at all in his second season in the best basketball league in the world.
In the worst-case scenario, James’ sophomore season is largely a repeat of his rookie campaign. He gets sporadic opportunities to see the floor but ultimately never cracks the rotation.
James’ struggles shooting the 3-point shot as a rookie with the Lakers carry over into the coming season, and he makes minimal impact offensively. The 20-year-old shot just 28.1 percent from deep with Los Angeles in his maiden season.
He doesn’t do enough in other areas of the game to make up for his lackluster 3-point shooting, either. James isn’t the disruptive defender that some folks hoped he would be, and he often looks outmatched when guarding talented offensive players. His sophomore season is rife with defensive lowlights, and people begin to question whether he has what it takes to be effective on that end at the highest level.
After his second NBA campaign, the Lakers are unsure if James is an NBA-caliber player and seriously consider parting ways with him.
### Most Likely
It’s not easy to determine what exactly the most likely scenario for James’ sophomore season is, but there seems to be a distinct possibility that he shows only marginal growth compared to his rookie campaign.
James sprinkles in more standout two-way performances with the Lakers than he did as a rookie, and he even scores 20-plus points in a game for the first time as a pro. But ultimately, the Lakers’ desire to win now along with all of the guard depth the team has keeps James’ role with the storied franchise relatively small, even if it’s slightly bigger compared to last season.
James isn’t a consistent rotation member but suits up in around half of Los Angeles’ 82-game slate, and the team puts together a strong campaign in a highly competitive Western Conference. The Lakers win 50-plus games for the second season in a row and secure a top-five seed.
While fans of the storied franchise are hoping for the best-case scenario and fearing the possibility that the worst-case scenario unfolds, some scenario in the middle seems to be the most likely. All in all, Lakers fans should be very excited to see how James fares in the coming season.