The Los Angeles Lakers just got scarcer. So there’d be an urgency to bring in backups. But not today. After a hard-fought win against the Jazz yesterday, the team is going into tomorrow’s game against the LA Clippers even more short-staffed. One of the players who won’t be on the bench is Bronny James.

The team announced its injury report before heading to Inglewood. While his dad takes on the Clippers at the Intuit Dome, Bronny will be in the South Bay with the G League Lakers squad.

So yes, once more, Bronny’s back in the G-League. Meanwhile, the big boy squad is missing key starters.

Austin Reaves’ medical evaluation was due today (Friday) after practicing with the team this week. He was not medically cleared after missing two games due to a calf strain. He’s about to miss his third tomorrow.

Deandre Ayton is also out with continuing left elbow soreness after missing the game against Utah. After being questionable yesterday, Gabe Vincent didn’t enter the game against Utah. He’s been officially ruled out of Saturday’s game with a sore back.

However, the problems keep on mounting for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura, who’s been a consistent starter for the team all season, is suffering from right groin soreness. As of right now, he’s listed as questionable. We’d have to wait for the final injury report to know if he’s playing.

Despite all the health issues this team’s having, the Lakers are not making any calls to the G-League. They seem keen on keeping Bronny there.

Bronny James’ commute between South Bay and the Lakers continues

With Bronny in South Bay and the others injured, the Lakers’ starting lineup will likely include Marcus Smart. Without Reaves, it was Jaxson Hayes who started last night.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James will likely carry the team for extended minutes once more. Fortunately, Bronny’s dad will be there after the beating he took against the Jazz. James got hit in the jaw and tweaked his knee. But remained in the game to tally 28 points yesterday.

Reaves could perhaps attend another G-League game to support Bronny. But he’d not have his ‘least favorite teammate’ for company. AR was courtside at the South Bay Lakers game with Luka Doncic when the Lakers had time off during the NBA Cup finals.

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Meanwhile, Bronny has had a decent six games this season with the South Bay Lakers. He was averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, shooting 35.6% from the field and 21.2% from the three-point line.

He was recalled to the main squad but barely averaged 14 minutes across three games. While he was on the squad, Dalton Knecht was sent to South Bay, a decision that raised a few eyebrows.

This is classic Lakers patience when it comes to developing their own guys—much like in the 2020-21 season, when injuries hit hard but they didn’t panic and throw unready G League or two-way players into the fire for big minutes.

That year was rough: Anthony Davis missed 36 games dealing with calf and Achilles problems, LeBron sat out 26 of the last 30 with a high ankle sprain, Dennis Schröder was sidelined for 11 (mostly protocols), and even Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed eight.

Instead of rushing raw talent up, they brought in veteran Damian Jones on a couple of 10-day deals in February to plug the frontcourt hole while AD was out. And later, when rebuilding the roster through free agency and trades, they continued to lean on proven players rather than betting heavily on untested prospects.

Knecht’s not having one of his best runs this season. His PPG is very low, including last night when he missed his only shot. But he’s a first draft pick and averages better than Bronny when he’s playing in the main squad. He even performed well in his brief G-League stint. In one game, he had 30 points and an incredible dunk.

Knecht is still here with a chance to redeem himself. But Bronny won’t be called up anytime soon.