Bronny James says he has ‘no problem’ spending time in G League, learning from veterans on roster

Destined to likely spend most of his season in the G League, Bronny James is more than willing to spend his rookie season in the back seat.

Much of the talk around Bronny James this summer has been just that: around him. Largely by design — and partially due to lack of opportunity — Bronny has largely been silent this offseason.

After Summer League, the talk about Bronny hasn’t stopped, but the comments from him have. One of the most notable stories came from his head coach, who called him a “development player.” While he may not have said it explicitly, the implication there was that his role was going to be in the G League, not with the Lakers themselves this season.

While he has little say in that matter, was Bronny on board with this plan? Monday’s media day offered a chance for Bronny to speak for himself.

Unsurprisingly, Bronny was very realistic about what his role on the Lakers will be not just this year but early in his career.

“I know that I’m not going to be thrown into the rotation immediately,” Bronny said in an interview with ESPN LA. “So, I’ve accepted that role and [am] coming in and getting better every day and learning from the vets and people that are going to be receiving heavy minutes. I have no problem sitting back and learning these first couple years and then building up from there.”

It’s always refreshing to see a player who is very self-aware of his situation, especially someone this aware. Bronny is under no illusion that he should be playing on the Lakers’ actual roster or in the rotation.

More than that, he’s open to learning from the team around him. Embracing the opportunity is a lot different than even just being open to it. Bronny is in a unique situation and he appears ready to take advantage of it.

If he and the Lakers succeed and he becomes a legitimate NBA player with their player development system between the G League and NBA, all of this patience and embracing of opportunity could pay off big down the line.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.