Magic Johnson does not think Bronny James is yet ‘ready’ for NBA action with the Lakers, and advised his ex-team to take a patient approach with the rookie.
James, the son of Lakers star LeBron, was selected 55th overall in this June’s NBA Draft after an ordinary season at USC in which he averaged just 4.8 points per game.
And while Johnson sees talent in the 19-year-old, he believes he should spend this year with the Lakers’ developmental squad, the South Bay Lakers.
‘If I’m Bronny, I would tell my dad, ‘Just let me play in the G League all season so that I can develop,” Johnson said on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
‘He needs playing time. He doesn’t need to be sitting on the Laker bench and not playing.’
Magic Johnson explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live how the Lakers should handle Bronny James
Bronny James played for the Lakers in the Summer League after being drafted in the 2nd round
Bronny’s lone year at USC was disrupted after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the summer prior – forcing him to miss the first eight games of the season.
His USC squad also performed below expectations, finishing 15-18 overall and just 8-12 in the Pac 12.
Nonetheless, it’s unlikely that he would have been drafted if not for his dad’s Lakers, and his new team doesn’t really have the luxury of handing out minutes.
With a 39-year-old James and 31-year-old Anthony Davis leading the squad, the Lakers are certainly a team in win-now mode – which is why Johnson thinks Bronny should play in the G League.
‘That’s not a knock against him – he’s just not ready,’ Johnson added. ‘He needs to develop more and then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills, but he needs to develop those skills at a much better clip if he wants to play 15-20 minutes a night in the NBA or more.’
Bronny is set to be teammates with his father, LeBron James, on the LA Lakers this season
Johnson, a three-time MVP and five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, is not the only one who envisions Bronny spending time developing in the G League.
New head coach JJ Redick spoke on (likely the last episode of) the Lowe Post with Zach Lowe on how the team plans to use the G League to develop Bronny.
‘I would expect us to use the G League for particular reasons,’ he said. ‘I think Bronny is a young guy, I’m very high on him as a basketball player. He’s kind of like the first player that we get to mold and help develop. So we’re going to look at the G League as a tool in our player development system.’
Redick added that the G League ‘is not a demotion by any stretch,’ but said Bronny’s NBA debut will come ‘sooner rather than later.’
The rookie played for the Lakers in the Summer League in July.
The Lakers begin their preseason on October 4 vs. the Timberwolves, and open their regular season vs. Minnesota as well on October 22.
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