Lakers HC JJ Redick Discusses When Bronny James Will Make LA Debut

The one-and-done USC product remains fairly raw.

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) looks on in the first half against the Houston Rockets at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Two of the most talked-about new additions to the 2024-25 Los Angeles Lakers have very close ties to 20-time All-Star combo forward LeBron James. L.A. signed former James "Mind The Game" podcast costar JJ Redick to serve as its latest head coach, while James' eldest son, 19-year-old Bronny James, was selected with the No. 55 pick following a one-and-done season with the USC Trojans.

So when will Bronny James suit up alongside LeBron James this season?

During a recent episode of ESPN's podcast "The Lowe Post," Redick spoke with host Zach Lowe about how and when he intends to deploy the 6-foot-2 rookie on L.A.'s standard roster this season. Redick's appearance on the podcast may prove to be one of the show's last episodes, as shockingly ESPN has reportedly decided to lay off Lowe, per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. As perhaps one of the sharpest minds in media, Lowe is unlikely to be a free agent for long. One wonders how soon it will be before The Ringer's Bill Simmons picks up the phone to call his longtime Grantland colleague.

“In terms of that moment, yeah, we’ve talked about it, and we’ve thought about it, and we’ll get it done. I don’t want to commit to anything right now, but that’s going to happen, and that’s going to happen sooner rather than later,” Redick said.

Primarily, as Redick reiterated and as had been suggested earlier this offseason, Los Angeles plans to develop James with its G League affiliate squad, the South Bay Lakers. This feels like the proper move, given how raw James looked during his one-and-done 2023-24 run with the Cardinal and Gold.

“The G League is not a demotion by any stretch. We are in the same building. We should be the model for integration between the NBA team and the G League team," Redick said. "I look at [South Bay head coach] Zach [Guthrie] as an extension of my staff. That team is an extension of our team. I would expect us to use the G League for particular reasons. 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.”

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