Lakers News: Dwyane Wade Calls Out LA, Wants to See More of Bronny James

LeBron James' former Hall of Fame teammate weighs in on the team's season so far.

Feb 17, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Team Lebron forward LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (23) and Team LeBron guard Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat (3) after the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Former Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade was a longtime rival of current Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA power forward LeBron James — and was an occasional teammate of James', for four NBA Finals-bound seasons on the Miami Heat, from 2010-14, plus half a year on the Cleveland Cavaliers, at the start of the 2017-18 season.

But the 13-time All-Star swingman issued some harsh criticism towards his friend's current club. At 18-14, the Lakers don't exactly look like world-beaters. L.A., led by James and nine-time All-Star center/power forward Anthony Davis, is currently the No. 7 seed in a crowded Western Conference.

Speaking on his new podcast "The Why With Dwyane Wade," the 6-foot-4 superstar revealed that, given that he doesn't think Los Angeles is competing for a title this year, he wants to see James play alongside his eldest son, Lakers rookie guard Bronny James, more frequently.

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"I tune in to the Lakers to see that this season," Wade said. "As a fan of the game, I'm not looking at the Lakers are saying, 'They're gonna win a championship.' So the habits that are being built are... for the habits that build the culture of what JJ has said before and that coaching staff. We want to see Bronny. This is not a championship team, it's not a championship roster at this point. Now the Lakers are always in [a] place to make a move 'cause it's the Lakers."

Bronny James was selected with the No. 55 overall pick out of USC in the 2024 NBA Draft, following a modest one-and-done season there. The 6-foot-2 point guard has spent most of his time this season with the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. Across seven games with South Bay, James is averaging 26.9 minutes a night. He's logging averages of 13.4 points on .366/.212/.667 shooting splits, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks a night. He's also appeared in seven bouts with the Lakers proper, averaging just 2.6 minutes per. The 20-year-old is notching 0.6 points and 0.3 assists per game for Los Angeles.

LeBron James, meanwhile, continues to look like an All-Star, 22 seasons into his pro career. Across 29 healthy games, the 6-foot-9 superstar is averaging 23.4 points on .497/.362/.771 shooting splits, 8.9 assists, and 7.7 rebounds a night.

Playing Bronny James significant minutes at this juncture would be detrimental to L.A.'s success this season. He's still quite raw, and hasn't earned minutes to land within the head coach JJ Redick's rotation.

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