The Los Angeles Lakers are chugging along nicely to start the 2024-25 season, posting a 10-6 record with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Predictably absent from the court for much of the opening season stretch has been Bronny James, the son of LeBron who the Lakers drafted with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. After he got his moment in the sun with his father on opening night the 20-year-old guard has played a grand total of 12 minutes and 26 seconds; his only chance for serious playing time will come in the G-League.
However, the Lakers have a strange plan for Bronny in the lower level. After the season kicked off for the South Bay Lakers reports emerged the younger James would only be playing in home games when it comes to the G-League. It's an odd decision and one Charles Barkley takes great issue with.
Speaking on the Bettor Angle podcast, Barkley ripped the Lakers and LeBron for green-lighting the plan, calling it "stupid" and a "bad look" for player and franchise.
"This thing where he's only gonna play home games? It's stupid," Barkley said. "It's not fair to him. It's not fair to the team. Can you imagine the coach of that team? You come off a road trip and there's a player you ain't seen in a week or two. And then you feel like you probably gotta play him. I don't think they're doing Bronny any favors and they just handled this thing really bad. It's a bad look for the Lakers and I honestly think— I really like everything LeBron's done— this is a bad look for him, in my opinion."
It does come across as detrimental for Bronny's development. The Lakers are all-in on winning games this year and everybody is of the same understanding that the younger James is not ready to contribute to winning basketball. It should go to reason, then, that L.A. would be invested in ensuring he gets playing time anyway with South Bay. Instead the organization is only letting Bronny dip half a toe into the water before yanking him back so he can ride the bench until the game is far, far out of reach one way or the other.
In two games played for the South Bay Lakers so far, James is averaging five points and three assists in 28.5 minutes per contest.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Charles Barkley Rips Lakers, LeBron James for 'Stupid' Bronny James Plan .
