The 2024-25 NBA season is finally upon us. The Los Angeles Lakers kick off the campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. After a disappointing offseason where the Lakers didn't sign anyone of note, all eyes will be on Bronny James in his potential NBA debut.
LeBron James and Bronny have an opportunity to make history by becoming the first father and son duo to play in an NBA game. As exciting as that is for basketball fans, the way the Lakers have been dealing with the situation has been frustrating.
During the preseason, it was widely reported that Bronny and LeBron would get some minutes together against Minnesota. On Monday, however, head coach JJ Redick said that there is "nothing finalized" about the plan to play the duo together, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
NBA News: Plan to Play LeBron and Bronny Together Still Up in the Air
JJ Redick says “nothing has been finalized” in regards to a plan to play LeBron and Bronny together Tuesday against Minnesota
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 21, 2024
With 24 hours left before the season opener, the Lakers coaching staff doesn't seem to have an idea about who will play. At this point, every NBA team has their rotations set for their first game of the season. That is not the case in Los Angeles even though the plan to play LeBron and Bronny together has been discussed for weeks now.
Having this much uncertainty and pressure about this situation is not good for anyone involved. If Bronny isn't happening, that should be announced so that the media circus is over. If he is going to play, the coaching staff should have a better idea for what that is going to look like.
Bronny James says he doesn’t know if he will get playing time in the season opener but was excited to hear that Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. plan to be in attendance, saying that will be a “crazy experience” to see them there pic.twitter.com/0f1qQH2hu5
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 21, 2024
It is probably better to get this out of the way in the season opener. It makes sense to give the duo some playing time together in Bronny's NBA debut. Otherwise, every time he doesn't play before the G League season starts, Redick will face questions about the situation.
For the sake of everyone involved, let's have our historic moment on Tuesday night so that Bronny can embark on his professional basketball journey without pressure like a normal 55th-overall pick.