LeBron-Less Lakers Should Still Want to Develop Bronny James amid NBA Trade Rumors

The historical significance of Bronny James' NBA career will of course remain intrinsically linked to his father, LeBron James.

That doesn't, however, mean that Bronny's future—or even his present—will be defined by his family tree.

More specifically, LeBron's next destination won't necessarily be Bronny's next employer. As The Athletic's Dan Woike reported, "assumptions that the father and son staying linked going forward are false."

Skeptics might see Bronny as the NBA's ultimate nepo baby, but the 21-year-old looks like a viable NBA prospect. And while L.A. made itself significantly younger this season, it still runs light in the prospect department.

In fact, with hope fading fast for 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht—a shooting specialist who has yet to prove himself as a shooter at this level—one could argue Bronny is the third-most important prospect on the roster behind 2026 first-round pick Cameron Carr and 2025 second-rounder Adou Thiero.

Is that a generous description for Bronny? Maybe, but he made notable, meaningful strides in his sophomore season.

His perimeter shooting really perked up (38.6 percent splash rate on 5.5 attempts per 36 minutes, via Basketball-Reference). His predictably strong feel surfaced in the sizable gap between his assists (4.9 per 36 minutes) and turnovers (2.4). His effort and athletic tools helped him make defensive plays (2.2 stocks per 36 minutes).

This isn't the easiest archetype to master—a 6'2" non-primary playmaker—but it is a legitimate role in this league. While these players are obviously much more established in this league, you could see Bronny following the same blue print that has made Miles McBride and De'Anthony Melton valuable role players.

Bronny, of course, needs a lot more seasoning to reach that level. And his chances of elevating are, admittedly, not great. He has logged fewer than 600 minutes across two seasons, and they have been—statistically speaking—largely unremarkable.

If he wasn't the son of hoops royalty, he wouldn't be worth mentioning.

All of that said, he is 21 years old. He has some legitimate physical tools. He thinks the game at a high level. There are tools to work with, and the Lakers should still have interest in seeing where they might one day lead.

His handles need tightening, his perimeter shot must sustain amid a volume increase and his defensive impact must catch up to his reputation, but none of these things feel impossible.

Most prospects need development, and Bronny is no different. If he manages to match (or exceed) the degree of his sophomore leap in his third season, the Lakers just might have a young, useful, cost-efficient role player on their hands. He's worth keeping around, even without his uber-famous father around.