As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers assigned Bronny James to their G League affiliate South Bay on Thursday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to that report, he will remain with the Lakers for a matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday before making his G League debut against Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Charania added that the younger James is only expected to play in South Bay’s home games.

The 20-year-old second-round pick has been a non-factor for the Lakers so far this season. He played in four games and averaged one point per game while shooting 16.7 percent from the field.

James was always expected to play in both the NBA and G League this season.

“Our plans are always fluid and based in real time,” head coach JJ Redick told reporters last week. “I believe we have two guys dressing today, but as of yesterday we are not doing that anymore. The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. (General Manager) Rob ( Pelinka) and I talked about that.’

James is undoubtedly an unfinished product after just one season at USC, where he averaged just 4.8 points in 25 games, mostly coming off the bench. At this stage of his career, he has shown some promise as a defender and secondary playmaker, but his offensive game is not yet close to NBA caliber.

“For us, prioritizing player development, we look at Bronny as case study one because his base level of touch, athleticism, defender at the point of attack, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick said. reporters in July. “And as we build our player development program holistically, he will have a tremendous opportunity to become an outstanding NBA player.”

In the G League, James could get more playing time to hone his craft. Outside of garbage time, it’s unlikely he’ll make regular appearances for the Lakers.