Cutting through the fog of nonsense and finding what’s important requires patience, discipline and focus.
It’s easy to get lost in the fog.
On the topic of Bronny James, one must double the effort.
What matters most is his development as a professional basketball player. Reasonable minds can disagree with reasonable discussion – not everything needs to be a shoutfest – on what that looks like.
But any conversation about James begins with this premise: it is an unprecedented situation. He is just not your normal No. 55 pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA draft.
That the son of one of the greatest basketball players of all time has enough ability to warrant an opportunity to play in the NBA at the same time as his dad is incredible. A short but almost unbelievable list of factors needs to fall into place for that to happen.
Since LeBron James and Bronny are the first father-son combo to accomplish that, it’s probably going to be a long time before we see this happen again.
And when taking all that into account, remember – and not sure why this important detail doesn’t get the weight it deserves – Bronny sustained a cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023 just before beginning his freshman year at USC.
Again, unique circumstances.
The decibels on the scrutiny increased last week when it was reported that Bronny will not play in G League road games for the South Bay Lakers. And the aggregators glommed on to comments made by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst who said Bronny is getting special treatment.
To which I say, of course there’s special treatment. We don’t need to be naïve. Not the first time and not the last, and as long as Bronny is doing everything he can to make the most of his situation – and by all accounts he is and is doing it with gratitude – then the cries of nepotism are muffled. Filmmaker Sofia Coppola had an advantage as the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. She didn’t win an Academy Award because of that. Eventually, merit rules the day.
By the way, Windhorst was measured with his comments made on ‘The Hoop Collective podcast,’ and his voice carries importance. The way he said it doesn’t match the aggregators’ ire. But that’s media in 2024.
Anyway, it’s not unusual for young players who might not get much playing time with the NBA team to play in G League home games only and not make trips. Last season, 12 players who were on NBA rosters played in G League home games only. It happens, and it’s not specific to one team.
If you think it’s best for Bronny to spend the season in the G League and get playing time in the NBA’s developmental league, that’s fair.
But the Lakers have a plan that they think is best for Bronny’s development. From 30,000 feet, each NBA team has a philosophy on how to run its G League team, and from there, teams create development plans for players who will spend time in G League. Not every player has the same plan. Teams take into account a player’s mental and physical health, long-term and short-term goals.
Lakers G League player Quincy Olivari, who signed a two-way contract, is off to a great start for the South Bay. He’s also 23 years old and played five seasons of college basketball. His developmental path won’t be the same.
Bronny’s dad is one of the smartest players to ever play basketball. New Lakers coach JJ Redick knows the game extremely well, general manager Rob Pelinka has a history as an agent to some of the game’s best players, including Kobe Bryant, and Rich Paul, who represents LeBron and Bronny, is an influential agent. Add the institutional knowledge of the Lakers’ organization and basketball operations staffers, that’s quite a brain trust mapping Bronny’s development.
Playing in G League home games only allows Bronny to get the best of both sides – G League and NBA experience while staying close to the Lakers’ facility where he has access to world-class resources, including a training facility, doctors, athletic training staffers, coaching and player development coaches.
This was not a plan drafted without thought, and it’s a plan that takes several factors into account.
One month into Bronny’s rookie season, the long arc of progress is barely visible.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @jeffzillgitt