Bronny James Puts Athleticism on Display Amid Lakers Roster Uncertainty

The third-year guard is looking to make his case as the Los Angeles Lakers face some difficult decisions ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The beginning of the 2026-27 NBA season is right around the corner for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the team being exactly a month away from its season opener against Stephen Curry and the visiting Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 21.

Before the regular season gets underway for the Lakers, the team will go through media day, training camp and will play five games during the NBA preseason.

During that process, the roster needs to be cut down to the maximum of 15 players, meaning more moves need to be made over the next four weeks.

Bronny James Shows Off Athleticism

One player hoping to be on the Lakers’ final roster is third-year guard Bronny James, who recently showed off his athleticism dunking in a gym ahead of training camp, which starts on Sept. 29.

Much like his father, LeBron James, Bronny doesn’t lack athleticism, even though he doesn’t have his dad’s frame and size (6’8”) at 6’1”.

The 2026-27 campaign will be the first time Bronny will play in the NBA without LeBron on the Lakers’ roster. The future Hall of Famer decided to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer after eight seasons in Los Angeles.

Without LeBron on the roster, there’s been a lot of speculation about whether Bronny’s days are numbered in Los Angeles, but there have been reports that the coaching staff is quite fond of the USC product.

Bronny's Future With Lakers Still Looms Large

However, the Lakers brass have to get the roster down to 15 players, with Bronny being expendable along with others like Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt.

The Lakers have been trying to make another trade or two ahead of the start of the season, with a need to get down to 15 players and potentially add another big man into the mix, with Los Angeles being thin in the frontcourt behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney.

Depth in the frontcourt is an issue, along with needing to cut down the roster, with the deadline to set the roster being the season opener on Oct. 21.

With all these players on the roster bubble, training camp and the preseason will be interesting, to say the least. They’ll all be trying to prove their worth with the clock ticking.

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