Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley dropped a bold prediction for Bronny James in the NBA playoffs.
“I think he gets in while the Lakers are up 20 or down 20,” Beverley said on the “Pat Bev Podcast with Rone” on March 29. “He plays well. They throw him in the next game, I think he’s a game-changer.”
Beverley’s bold prediction came on the heels of Bronny’s rapid development in the G League and showing flashes in his best NBA game – a career-high 17-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks when nearly half of the Lakers roster was unavailable, including LeBron James.
“I think he can impact winning,” Beverley continued. “He plays well in the minutes he’s given. I think [the playoffs] that’s his coming out party. That was my coming out party. I was put in the game to play defense. So, I got in the game — I don’t know I’m the second, third sub — then I got a layup. I hit a three. Next game, I started.”
Pat Beverley’s Coming Out Party
Beverley, who was the Lakers’ 42nd overall selection in 2009, did not get into the NBA until four years later when the Houston Rockets signed him to a multi-year deal. A much higher pick than Bronny, Beverley gained more experience in the Euroleague before his coming out party in the 2013 NBA playoffs.
Beverley played well enough off the bench in Game 1 of the Rockets’ first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder that year. He had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals against Russell Westbrook.
In Game 2, Beverley made his first NBA start and produced 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block in a narrow 105-102 Rockets loss and the rest is history for the little but feisty guard.
What Bronny James Needs to Learn in the NBA
Beverley, who played for the Lakers in the 2022-23 season, sees himself in Bronny.
“I think our playing styles are a little similar and at our size, we can harass the ball [handler], we can play off the ball, we can shoot the spot, we can push in the transition, we can build pace in the beginning of my career,” Beverley said. “That led to me getting on the court defense-wise, and my defense allowed me to show my offense a little bit.”
Bronny became the most scrutinized second-round pick in NBA history because of his father. But he slowly built himself up to get out of his father’s large shadow.
In March, Bronny recorded his best games in the NBA — 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with five assists, three rebounds and a block against the Bucks — and in the G League — 39 points on 14-of-21 shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block against the Santa Cruz Warriors — just four days apart.
Beverley played only in the G League for a week before he made his Rockets debut in 2013. He averaged 13.7 points, 7.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in just three G League games. In contrast, Bronny averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 11 G League regular season games. He became the youngest player at 20 years old to average 20-5-5 in the G League.
Bronny James is the youngest player in the G League averaging 20+ PPG, 5+ RPG, & 5+ APG. pic.twitter.com/PCXS8F28mm
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) March 25, 2025
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“The G League was extremely easy, which is easy for him also,” Beverley said. “But I think in the NBA, he’s going to be one of those guys that need to learn how to play pick and roll, make the right plays out of the pick and roll, pick up [the ballhandler] 94 [feet], hit the spot three. Anything extra, it’s smack on the [expletive].”
Bronny is developing right in front of our eyes! @patbev21 sees some shades of himself in his game! pic.twitter.com/NPkcGamQAC
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) March 29, 2025
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