Bronny James was the big story for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Down six top rotation players, head coach JJ Redick turned to the rookie for 30 minutes of game action in a game that was already chalked up as a loss before it began.
The rookie guard responded extremely well to the opportunity. He finished with 17 points on 7-for-10 from the field. He added in three rebounds and five assists, and although he was a minus-36 on the night, he certainly showed flashes of everything the Lakers and Redick have touted him to be.
After the game, Redick had a chance to reflect on what Bronny has accomplished over the last few months, and why it led to an expectedly great performance from him on Thursday.
“Yeah, we’ve obviously monitored him in the G [League] and feel like in those sorts of end-game situations when he’s gotten a chance to play with us, he’s been really good. So, [I’m] not surprised by tonight. I think his confidence is growing, because you mentioned the word comfort. That’s certainly there for him,” Redick said.
“I think the next step is just becoming an elite-conditioned athlete. Because if he does that, with his physical tools,this burst and his handle, we think he’s gonna be [an] above average to really good NBA shooter, who’s gonna have a chance to really make an impact.”
One of the things that impresses Redick most about Bronny is his level-headedness amid what has been a frustrating national conversation around a second-round pick.
“Yeah. I saw some video interviews that he did at the Combine in May,” Redick added. “And obviously, I was not the Lakers coach, just an NBA analyst and podcaster at the time. And I texted Bron, and I was like, man, Bronny has his head up straight, like he gets it. And since day one, I’ve just been impressed with the person that he is.
“And to deal with, frankly, bullshit because of who his dad is and just keep a level head about it and be a class act says a lot about him, says a lot about that family. And the way LeBron and Savannah have raised him. It was obvious to me, from the moment, I started spending time with him on the court this summer. He was certainly going to be an NBA player. And I still believe that he’ll be an NBA player.”
Redick was asked about how Bronny has been an example of the player development program that he wanted to implement at the beginning of the season. He took the opportunity to address some rumors while praising all the two-way and South Bay players, including James, for staying ready.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know who put it out, but there was something that he wasn’t going to, he wasn’t going to play road games in the G League at the beginning of the year. Like, that was never a plan.
“I think the way we’ve done it with him, the way we’ve done it with Trey [Jemison], Christian [Koloko], just having them available, having them with the G League, just their flexibility with it and having synergy with Zach and his staff, I think it’s been wonderful in year one. We can certainly improve in certain ways, and we’ll get to that in the offseason, but I think the way Bronny has improved, and he can just step up in our world and know every play and speak the language, I think it’s been great for year one.”
The Lakers have done well to develop Bronny into a player that can hold his own on an NBA floor, something they always knew was possible for the former USC guard. And as he continues to get his conditioning back, he should only continue on an upward trajectory.
Bronny James using criticism as fuel
With Bronny James’ pro career getting off to a slow start in Summer League, preseason and the garbage time NBA minutes he has played, the criticism of the Lakers’ pick has only grown louder.
To Bronny’s credit though, his focus has been on getting better as a player during his rookie season and he has done exactly that. The people still criticizing him being drafted have not watched his G League games as the 20-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 36.1% from deep in nine regular season games with the South Bay Lakers.
In a recent interview, Bronny revealed that he hears all of the noise surrounding him and is using it as fuel.
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