"He's a game changer" - Patrick Beverley predicts Bronny James' playoffs role on Lakers

As the LA Lakers have dealt with injuries, Bronny James has averaged 10.5 minutes through March. After a 17-point outing from the second-generation hooper against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, veteran guard Patrick Beverley predicted that come playoff time, there's a chance James will be a game-changer for the Lakers.

So far this season, James is averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the South Bay Lakers in the G League. While those numbers are a long way from his 2.3 ppg in the NBA, James showed flashes of brilliance in his limited time on the court with LA.

Because of that, Beverley believes that come playoff time, James will wind up checking in during a blowout game. However, later in that series, there's a chance he proves himself as a game-changer.

He spoke on the latest episode of his "Pat Bev Pod" shared on X on Saturday.

"I think he gets in the game when Lakers are up by 20 or down by 20," Beverley said. "He plays well, they throw him in the next game and I think he's a game changer. He plays well for the minutes he's given, I think that's his coming out party."

So far, James career high in the NBA is 17 points, a feat he achieved on March 19 when LA picked up a 120-108 win over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets despite the absence of four-time NBA champion LeBron James.

Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony is confident that Bronny James will become a solid NBA player

When the LA Lakers drafted Bronny James, both coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka made it clear that the team was drafting James because they were confident he would blossom into a valuable "3-and-D" player.

Given that, James has continued to refine his game and play big minutes with the South Bay Lakers, where he scored 39 points on 66.7% shooting on March 20.

On the recent episode of Carmelo Anthony's "7PM In Brooklyn" podcast uploaded on Friday, the former scoring champion praised Bronny for his recent play while making it clear that he's confident the second-generation hooper will blossom into a solid NBA player:

"In a couple years, Bronny going to be a real NBA player," Anthony said. "Like, a real, real solid NBA player."

Rudy Gay also spoke about James, saying that he wouldn't be surprised if, in a few years, the guard is starting in the NBA.

Given that he was a one-and-done college player and was still getting back to 100% after going into cardiac arrest, the Lakers have every intention of giving the teenage standout plenty of time to work on his game.