When Bryce James Could Make CBB Debut After Not Playing for Arizona vs. UConn

With LeBron James hitting the court for the first time this season and Bronny James earning his second career NBA start this past week, fans are wondering when the youngest James son, Bryce, will earn his first minutes at Arizona.

As the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats took on the No. 3 UConn Huskies on the road on Wednesday, earning a 71–67 win, James again remained on the bench. It came as no surprise after he failed to log any minutes through the team's first four wins of the season, including two blowouts.

Arizona is off to a hot start with opening wins over defending champion Florida, No. 15 UCLA and No. 3 UConn to begin the season 5-0 without James seeing the floor.

It is shaping up with Arizona's hot streak, James may not see the court for the Wildcats until next season.

The freshman guard, who was a consensus three-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, faces the possibility of redshirting, according to head coach Tommy Lloyd.

"No final decisions have been made," Lloyd told reporters after Arizona's win over Northern Arizona. "It's tough. It puts you in a tough situation. You play Bryce in a game like this for three minutes, it burns a year of eligibility. I wish it was easier."

"I wish there was a set number of games you could play a guy like they have in football," Lloyd continued. "I think that would make sense for some of these kids, but we don't. I want Bryce to have the best college basketball career and the most options in his college basketball career long-term, whatever that looks like. Throwing a kid with a lot of potential that's developing, he or Mabil, a few garbage minutes -- it might feel good now, but potentially down the line it could be something you regret."

Redshirting could be the best path for Bryce, helping ease pressure and avoid the "nepotism" chatter from outside voices — the same criticism Bronny faced during his time at USC and now hears during his time with the Lakers.

After a mix of blowouts and nail-biters to open the season, it appears increasingly likely that a redshirt year is in the cards for Bryce as Arizona hosts the Denver Pioneers on Monday.