Lakers make nonsensical Bronny James roster move five days after G-League demotion

Caleb Hightower

Lakers make nonsensical Bronny James roster move five days after G-League demotion image

The Los Angeles Lakers have made their fair share of wise roster moves over the years, trading for Anthony Davis in 2019 (he helped the franchise win a championship a year later) and bringing Luka Doncic on board nine months ago, to name a few.

However, Los Angeles recently dropped the ball with a nonsensical roster move involving their 21-year-old second-year guard, Bronny James.

“The Los Angeles Lakers have recalled guard Bronny James Jr. And forward Adou Thiero from the South Bay Lakers,” LakersNation’s Trevor Lane reported Tuesday. 

Last Thursday, the Lakers sent James to the G League to restore his confidence and ensure he received valuable game reps as a long-term developmental player. 

The USC product was productive in his G League season debut vs. The Santa Cruz Warriors, but struggled with his perimeter shooting in-game No. 2. 

However, James was expected to continue to develop with South Bay until he was fully prepared to return to Los Angeles and produce at a serviceable. 

Surprisingly, the Lakers felt the need to promote James after just two G-League outings, which is head-scratching in every way imaginable. 

James hasn't shown he isn’t ready to be an integral part of Redick’s rotation, evidenced by his 2.2 points per game average on below-average shooting splits through 37 NBA contests (shooting 30.9% from the field and 27.9% from three).

Simply put, James should still be improving his game in the G-League instead of making zero impact with the big dogs and causing individuals to cast doubts on his NBA future. 

Hopefully, the Lakers’ recent mistake doesn’t come back to haunt them later on.

More NBA: Lakers officially sign 25-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward to assist Luka Doncic

Editorial Team