How Los Angeles Lakers Might Need Bronny James in NBA Playoffs

The Los Angeles Lakers just can’t catch a break.

After Luka Doncic’s regular season ended with a hamstring injury, the Lakers just got another dose of brutal injury luck. Austin Reaves is also done for the remainder of the remainder of the regular season due to an oblique strain.

There’s no timetable for Doncic or Reaves, arguably the best two Lakers players, to return. Of course, Los Angeles will remain hopeful that they can play in the NBA Playoffs, but there’s still five more regular season games to get through before those decisions.

For years, a viral internet social media post that reads, “accidentally became important at work and it’s ruining my life,” has become quite the viral meme.

For Lakers point guard Bronny James, that meme might’ve turned into a reality.

Could Bronny really play in the postseason?

Without Doncic or Reaves, Luke Kennard is the only healthy ball handler in Los Angeles that has gotten consistent minutes throughout the regular season. Of course, LeBron James is a ballhandler and can efficiently run an offense – but that takes him out of his current role.

There’s a real world, if Doncic and Kennard can’t suit up, that Bronny could end up playing significant minutes in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Lakers coach JJ Redick has been trusting Bronny a bit more in his second NBA season. As a rookie, he played in just 27 games. This year, he’s already appeared in 37 games. That could be as many as 42 games – especially with the new need for a point guard in Los Angeles.

Bronny averaged just a tick under eight minutes per night when he was called on to enter action for the Lakers this season. He’s played a much bigger role for the South Bay Lakers, where Bronny has played six games this season. In those six G League appearances, Bronny has averaged nearly 31 minutes of game action. He’s averaging 9.5 points per game, four rebounds and four assists per outing with South Bay.

That’s not exactly the sort of production that screams to the Lakers that the 21-year-old is ready for action in the NBA Playoffs. The lights are brighter, the pace is faster and the game is way more physical in the postseason.

But out of necessity, could Redick find himself desperate?

In reality, Bronny isn't going to see postseason minutes. The Lakers still have Kennard and Jake LaRavia would be ahead of Bronny in a playoff rotation if push came to shove. 

The Lakers are currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Right now, they’d be matched up with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. However, there’s still more than one week in the regular season, and the seeding can change with all of this injury news.

Before his injury, Doncic was playing at an MVP level. LeBron has enjoyed his role as “OG in residence,” contributing as a consistent third option with Doncic and Reaves handling the workload every night.

If Doncic and Reaves can’t suit up for Game 1 of the postseason, James is back to being the No. 1 option for the Lakers. 

In that scenario, nobody should be surprised if Bronny gets a few minutes of run in the postseason. If the Lakers find themselves with their backs against the wall without their best two players against an athletic Anthony Edwards or a talented Houston Rockets team, they might as well bank on chemistry and genetics.