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Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives the ball during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena on February 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been urged to give additional playing time to second-year guard Bronny James after the NBA All-Star break.
LakeShowLife’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk argues that Bronny, who averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 assists in the final three games before the All-Star break, has flashed enough defensive potential to become a permanent member of the rotation.
“With the trade deadline having passed, and regular season action set to resume on Thursday after the All-Star break, James might just have his in,” wrote Rovenchuk. “Bronny may not be a regular in the rotation during the second half, but he shouldn’t be an afterthought altogether.”
Lakers Change Starting Unit
The writer also believes that Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s decision to insert either Jake LaRavia or Marcus Smart into the starting lineup opens up backcourt minutes for Bronny, who has shown ball-handling and playmaking skills in his limited time.
“After Rui Hachimura got moved to the second unit, one of Marcus Smart of Jake LaRavia should get expected to fill that fifth starter spot. Should it be Smart, Bronny immediately gets a shot at backup guard minutes,” Rovenchuk stressed.
In his limited 7.3 minutes per game, Bronny shot an impressive 40.7% from three in 29 games before the All-Star break. That’s a tremendous leap from his rookie year, when the son of LeBron James shot 34% from three at 31% from the field.
Bronny, too, feels that he’s finally adjusting to the pace of the NBA.
Bronny James Finding His Footing?
“I feel different, I feel way more comfortable,” Bronny said after he had a season-high 12 points and six assists against the San Antonio Spurs last Tuesday.
“My teammates believe in me. My coaches believe in me. It’s good to get out there and take advantage of the minutes given to me.”
The Lakers are also seemingly more comfortable giving Bronny an extended run with the senior roster, unlike last year, when Bronny was assigned to the G League for most of the season. This year, he has played only six games for the South Bay Lakers thus far, spending most of his time with the Lakers even if he doesn’t see the floor.
JJ Redick, who believes Bronny possesses the skills to turn into an elite perimeter defender, continues to be impressed by the youngster’s physical presence. After last Tuesday’s game, he praised Bronny for being physical on defense when switched onto Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
“Well, I think the takeaway, you know, in terms of the physicality that we wanted on defense, he had two really good possessions in the first half against Wemby,” Redick said of Bronny’s defense.
Even Bronny James recognizes that he can help a Lakers team that desperately needs good perimeter defenders, given that it has an offense-skewed Big 3 of Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“I’d say defensively, that’s my role that I want to excel at,” he said last Tuesday. “We have a lot of guys, Luka, LeBron, AR. Those guys can go get buckets whenever we need them. But they need guys like myself, Vando, Jake, guys who can defend.”
The Lakers (33-21) host the Clippers (26-28) in the first game after the All-Star break.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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