Metta World Peace Says Bronny Isn't 'Underachieving,' Despite G League Stint

Just because Bronny James is bouncing between the NBA and G League doesn't mean his hoops career is cooked ... so says Metta World Peace, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers rookie is getting a great opportunity to develop.

James -- the 55th overall pick -- was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Nov. 7 ... after the guard averaged 0.7 points, and 2.7 minutes of playing time in six games with the big dogs.

It's not your average move, though ... as Bronny will only play home games for South Bay and continue to travel with his pops and the rest of his Lakers teammates for NBA games as well.

Despite the unique arrangement, Metta doesn't see it as a downgrade at all ... even though Bronny hasn't necessarily stuffed the stat sheets just yet.

"I think he's doing very well," the 45-year-old said. "He's not underachieving."

Metta -- who played on the Lakers from 2015 to 2017 -- believes fans need to remember that the 20-year-old guard is still learning ... and it's common for rookies to wind up in the G League from time to time.

Plus, Metta says the G League is a good place for development ... pointing out plenty of guys have long careers in the Association after spending some time in the minors.

"The G League is a great platform. So many great players and some maybe even future Hall of Famers came out of the G League," Metta said.

"He's a rookie and rookies play in the G League. I think it's a good thing."