Lakers Provide Major Injury Update on Bronny James

Ricardo Sandoval | Nov 30, 2024

Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James will begin this ramp-up process from his left heel contusion injury.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin shared the news via Twitter/X.

Bronny James’ left heel contusion was examined by team doctors Friday, per the Lakers. It was determined to be healing so Bronny will begin his ramp-up process and be re-evaluated in a week.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 30, 2024

James has missed the last week and a half due to the injury. He will be re-evaluated in a week.

James has not stepped on the hardwood since Nov. 17. Although that is the case, healthy or not, he is not expected to crack the rotation once he is fully healthy—his absence should have no effect on the NBA Lakers.

As for the South Bay Lakers, he only gets some run for home games. James' progression in the NBA has not been ideal, and this injury doesn't make it any better. Nonetheless, the hope is that he feels better a week from now and will be back on the court sooner rather than later.

The Lakers believe James will eventually develop into an impact player in the NBA, but he still has a long way to go. The team wants him to grow alongside his father, LeBron James, in the NBA space.

However, things have not gone smoothly for Bronny, especially in the NBA. In six games this season, he is averaging 0.7 points per game, 0.3 assists, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.2 steals while shooting 16.7 percent from the field and 2.7 minutes per game.

His time in the G League isn't any better. He's averaging 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28.5 minutes of action and two games played.

The Lakers selected Bronny with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The hope was that he would eventually be a solid rotation or role player for the Lakers. To reach that level, he needs to play; at times, he does, and other times, he does not.

Bronny still has a lot of time to develop and become the player the Lakers envision him to be. But things do not look pretty as they stand, and this injury certainly doesn't help.

Bronny is the most talked about second-round pick of all time, at least in terms of how things stand. From day one, Bronny has been under the microscope due to how big of a name his father is.

It is nepotism at its finest, but the Lakers believe Bronny has worked hard, proven that he belongs, and will soon be impactful in his NBA career.

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