Bronny James. Image via: Robert Gauthier/ Getty Images
The 7-2 Lakers have barely used either player this season. James, in his third NBA season, has appeared in five games and is averaging 2.4 minutes and 0.8 points. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves handle most of the playmaking for a team that sits at 7-2. Sunday’s 131-125 win over Toronto got tight late, when a 15-point lead shrank in the final two minutes after Redick brought in his reserves.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick has explained why Bronny James and rookie Cameron Carr are headed to the G League, and the answer is short. Redick addressed the move before Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also gave a clear timeline for when both guards will be back with the team. Carr, the Lakers’ first-round pick in June, has played four minutes across three games. An oblique strain kept him out of the first six games of the season. Neither guard has locked in a role, and the minutes are hard to find.
The Lakers assigned both guards to the Coachella Valley Lakers on Thursday, one day before the affiliate opens its season against the Salt Lake City Stars.
Across 25 games for the South Bay Lakers over the past two seasons, he averaged 18.4 points on 49.6% shooting, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
Redick said the guard has made enough trips, first with South Bay and now Coachella Valley, that he “knows what’s expected of him there. For Carr, the coach said the league exists to develop players, and the rookie needs reps. James has been productive in the G League. The Coachella Valley Lakers look different this season. The affiliate was known as South Bay until a rebrand and a move to Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, away from the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. Alex Cerda is the new coach. He replaced Zack Guthrie, who joined Redick’s staff with the Lakers.