Lakers rookie Bronny James is expected to participate in the G League Winter Showcase later this week, per ESPN. The winter showcase is an event held every season where each team heads to one city to participate in an in-season tournament, similar to the NBA Cup. However, the Winter Showcase is a scouting event, where personnel from all 30 NBA teams will be in attendance to assess the talent at the G League level.
This year’s winter showcase takes place in Orlando from Dec. 19-22, and it will serve as the 20th anniversary of the event. Over the course of the four days, 31 games will be played, and it gives most of the players in attendance an opportunity to prove to teams in the league they’re worthy of landing an NBA contract.
For Bronny, who was drafted by the Lakers in the second round in June, the decision for him to participate in the showcase was a joint one made by the Lakers front office and his agents, per ESPN. While Bronny won’t be fighting to land an NBA contract like most other players at the showcase, it will serve as an important opportunity in his development.
Bronny is coming off several strong performances with the South Bay Lakers. He’s averaging 20.6 points, three rebounds and two assists in his last three games in the G League, including an impressive 30-point outing on Dec. 12, where he went 13 of 23 from the floor.
LeBron James, Bronny’s father and teammate, talked about his son’s recent stretch of games, praising his aggressiveness.
“Just keep stacking the days, keep putting in the work,” the elder James said. “The work always prevails at the end of the day. It’s just great to see him getting back into the flow, getting back to his game, getting back to him just playing free and going out and just playing the game that he loves and knows how to play. I loved his aggressiveness.”
Bronny’s appeared in just seven games with the Lakers this year, as the focal point has been developing him at the G League level right now. He struggled in his first two games with South Bay, but appears to have found his footing as of late. If he continues to impress, especially if he has a strong showing at the Winter Showcase, perhaps he’ll be elevated to the Lakers roster again with a chance at more consistent playing time.
