The Los Angeles Lakers did not draft Bronny James for his basketball talent. Yet as the reasons they did take him diminish, the success of the players they passed on is heaping regret onto the team's shoulders.
The Lakers owned the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That is usually a draft slot with a very low hit rate. Expecting a team to find a hidden gem that late is unrealistic. It's a 1-in-10 chance at finding a rotation player.
Thus the downside of using that pick simply for nepotism reasons is relatively low. The Lakers drafted Bronny so that he could be on the same team as his father, LeBron James. They can pontificate about his pedigree and defensive upside all they want, but that is the reason. It's the same basic reason the Milwaukee Bucks employ two Antetokounmpo brothers. Keeping a star player comfortable and happy is a reasonable thing for an organization to do, even if it does come with a cost.
The problem for the Lakers is not that Bronny James has failed to turn into a rotation player; that was always unlikely to happen. In fact, some of the flashes he has shown are actually encouraging. The problem is that the Lakers are no longer invested in keeping LeBron James as happy as possible because they have pivoted to another star, Luka Doncic.
This past summer, the Lakers didn't hand LeBron James the max contract he was looking for. They consulted Doncic, not James, on personnel decisions. They are making it clear that this team is being built around the current point forward MVP candidate, instead of the past one.
That makes investing a draft pick and a roster spot in Bronny James look more and more unnecessary. To be fair to the Lakers, at the time they drafted Bronny they had no idea that Luka Doncic would be placed on their doorstep with a bow tied around him. Even still, with LeBron hitting his fifth decade, moving away from him is hardly a surprise.
And a somewhat unexpected development is going to make the Lakers' regret at their draft day decision grow: the 2024 undrafted class -- essentially, all of the players they passed on to draft LeBron's son -- looks uniquely strong.
The Lakers passed on some good players
The Detroit Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference with the league's second-best defense. They have continued to steamroll the competition despite absences from Cade Cunningham, Caris LeVert and Jaden Ivey; Ivey has played in just six of the team's 21 games. How did they stay afloat? Daniss Jenkins.
The undrafted guard out of St. John's has been a defensive monster at the point of attack for the Pistons, but most surprisingly has been a capable scorer, shooter and playmaker as the sometimes starting, sometimes coming off the bench point guard next to and in stead of Cunningham. He would be a major upgrade to the Lakers' rotation right now.
Another upgrade would be Spencer Jones. With Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon missing significant time for the Denver Nuggets, the second-year forward has risen into a major role. He is now starting and playing big minutes, defending and rebounding with energy. What's more, his scoring has popped at times; in his most recent two games, he has shot 8-for-12 from deep and scored 44 points.
The San Antonio Spurs are deep at guard, with De'Aaron Fox on a max deal, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle recent top-5 picks, and Jordan McLaughlin and Lindy Waters III solid rotation options. Yet when injuries ravaged the guard room, the Spurs turned to Summer League standout David Jones Garcia, another undrafted 2024 player.
Against the swarming Atlanta Hawks, Garcia scored 12 points in 18 minutes with five rebounds, six assists and three steals. He was +25 in a nine-point win. His speed and craft with the ball are excellent and he plays with a verve that is ideal in a backup guard.
Another player with verve is Justin Edwards. The Kentucky product is a 6'7" wing who is in the rotation for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has stepped up into big roles when the Sixers' health demanded it and dropped 20 or more points multiple times.
The names continue. Nae'Qwon Tomlin has shown real flashes for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Branden Carlson looks like a career backup center. Jamison Battle is a functional 3-and-D wing. PJ Hall has been in the mix for the Nuggets and Grizzlies the last two years. Keshad Johnson is in the Miami Heat's rotation right now.
The Lakers made their decision to draft for a reason other than getting the best player available. Using the 55th pick on such a move is defensible. But looking back, the options available could really be helping the Lakers right now -- and instead it's Bronny James taking up a roster spot and a seat on the bench.
The regret is only going to grow.