After a blazing 7-2 start, now is not the time for the Los Angeles Lakers to mess with the formula. Between a slew of additions over the summer and relatively good health to start the season, everything is working out for the Purple and Gold right now, and it seems head coach JJ Redick has settled on a rotation he can trust.

Unfortunately, there are only so many minutes to go around, and the Lakers’ depth has left Bronny James and Cameron Carr as the odd ones out. As their team has soared, James and Carr have been starved of opportunities — an issue that has since been resolved. As the team announced on Thursday, both players have been assigned to the G League, where they will get a better chance to develop their game through reps and experience.

“The Lakers say they have assigned guards Cameron Carr and Bronny James Jr. to the Coachella Valley Lakers ahead of the team’s G League season opener Friday in Palm Desert,” reported Marc Stein.

The Lakers have been in full regular season action for weeks now, but things have yet to get started at the G League. That’s why, with opening night on Friday, the Lakers felt it was the right time to make this move. Going forward, it’s unclear what the expectations are for James and Carr, or when we can expect them back with the main team, but this will be an opportunity for them to hone their skills and learn from their mistakes. They shouldn’t take it lightly.

At 22, Bronny already has two seasons under his belt, but this one has been his worst by far. While the sample size is small (just five games), his stats are down to just 0.8 points, 0.0 rebounds, and 0.0 assists per game in 2.4 minutes. He’s barely cracked the rotation and has looked unplayable in the few stretches he has played. Despite his struggles, the Lakers remain attached to Bronny, citing his maturity and work ethic. The hope is that with some time in the G League, Bronny can build up his confidence and find a way to be more impactful on the floor.

As for Carr, he just needs a chance to prove himself. With four minutes played all season, minutes have been hard to come by for the 24th overall pick, especially given the prior injury that ruled him out completely for the first chunk of games. He showed positive signs in training camp and preseason, but the Lakers can’t afford to give him a significant role unless he’s ready to contribute.

At 6’5″, Carr is the kind of prospect who could make a future for himself in Los Angeles, but needs to build up that experience before he can really get going. With the Coachella Valley Lakers, he’ll have plenty of time to find his game without the pressure to produce big results right away.

Ultimately, with so much at stake for the Lakers, they can’t give heavy minutes to young players who desperately need them. Instead, what they can do is send them for a stint in the G League, where they have a much better chance to develop a rhythm and become the player the Lakers believe they can be.