To the surprise of nobody, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Now that Bronny James is on the Lakers roster, one of the most pressing questions is what jersey number will he wear. The team answered that question revealing Bronny's No. 9 alongside what the ‘James Jr.” that will appear on the back of the jersey.
How the Lakers wound up with Bronny in the NBA Draft was an interesting journey. Throughout most mock drafts, Bronny was overwhelming considered to be a second round pick, if he even got drafted. An underwhelming season at USC as a freshman played into that feeling.
But James had a strong showing at the NBA Draft combine that officially put him on the radar of NBA teams as a legitimate prospect. But leading up to the draft, James only worked out for the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. During the NBA Draft broadcast, former NBA executive Bob Myers stated that he'd heard Bronny's agent Rich Paul telling interested teams not to draft Bronny or else he would head to Australia to play.
When the Lakers were on the clock at No. 55, there was no doubt that they were drafting Bronny to pair alongside with his father, LeBron James. While Bronny is sure to bring a ton of attention to the Lakers next season, he's still a developing prospect and will likely get reps in the G League with the South Bay Lakers the majority of the season.
Lakers bringing in a new era
The Lakers are looking for a return to their glory days after back to back playoff disappointments under former head coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers fired Ham following their second consecutive playoff exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. After a seemingly lengthy coaching search, the Lakers hired former NBA player, turned current media analyst JJ Redick to lead the team.
Redick's first order of business was the NBA Draft. While everyone was focused on Bronny James and what that means for the Lakers, the team struck gold in the first round with Dalton Knecht. Knecht was a lottery talent that slipped and the Lakers grabbed him. He's got an NBA ready skill-set and could see minutes immediately.
The next order of business for the Lakers is keeping LeBron James in a Lakers jersey for the remainder of his career. LeBron will turn 40 before the 2024-25 season is over. He has a player option this offseason which he most likely will opt out of, paving the way for him to sign a longer contract extension with the Lakers.
Aside from that, the team doesn't have much available cap space to work with in order to improve the team. In order for them to become a true contender in the Western Conference, a trade is more likely. But even though the Lakers will be looking to make a deep playoff run next season, all eyes will be on Bronny and LeBron and the first father/son teammate duo in NBA history.
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