Bronny James has been one of the most talked about second-round draft picks in NBA history as a rookie. That’s to be expected, though, as he is the son of LeBron James and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. But Bronny has not been given the same room for growing pains that just about every other rookie in NBA history is given.
He has spent much of the year in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, and has already shown significant improvement on the offensive end of the floor. But he was harshly criticized by media for a poor showing in L.A.’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, a game that head coach JJ Redick admitted was a bad spot for Bronny’s first ever rotation minutes.
But Bronny got another chance to get some real minutes in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ blowout win over the Washington Wizards. He finished with five points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win, and Lakers guard Max Christie spoke about what he’s seen from Bronny between Opening Night and now, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“The confidence is growing. He’s a lot more assertive, especially offensively. Defensively, he’s been really good as well. Gotta a couple deflections, a few steals. He’s starting to make his presence felt, which is really good as a young player. He’s kind of coming into his own and as he gets more games under his belt, starts to play more, his confidence grows. He’s getting better and better, it’s really good to see.”
The Lakers did not take Bronny under the expectation that he was a finished product. In fact, he was drafted in large part due to the potential of what he could be with some time in a professional organization. And the Lakers have done well to instill confidence in Bronny at every turn.
Bronny is only going to continue improving with more opportunities, both at the G League and the NBA level. And Christie, in half a season, is already seeing some of those results.
Rui Hachimura talks LeBron’s support for Bronny James
Bronny James got made the most of opportunity against Washington, scoring a tough and-one, resulting in an eruption of support from the bench.
When the cameras panned over to the bench, Rui Hachimura was seen embracing LeBron James, as that must have been a surreal moment. Hachimura revealed how much LeBron is doing behind the scenes to aid his son through this tough transition, helping Bronny with his development.
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