JJ Redick Gives Blunt Assessment of Bronny James’ Lakers Debut

JJ Redick did not mince words in assessing Bronny James‘ preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“On the offensive end, he’s still kind of figuring out who he is, and that’s our job as a player development program just to build him up,” Redick told reporters, per Lakers Nation. 

James struggled from the field, missing his first five shots before scoring a basket in garbage time during the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 4 in Palm Desert, California.

“But I like what I saw from Bronny,” Redick added. “Truthfully, he’s so easy to coach, and he’s got a great soul and just a great energy about him. I like being around him and I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we are happy to have in our program.”

The 19-year-old Lakers rookie had his moments, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He registered three blocks, which was the most by any guard in a preseason debut since Dwyane Wade’s four in 2003.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender,” Redick said.

James added one rebound and one assist against a turnover in 16 minutes off the bench.

Redick told reporters that Bronny was solid for a good stretch in the Lakers’ training camp, which prompted the first-time coach to give him playing time in their preseason opener.

“As a coaching staff, before the game, as we were kind of going over our rotation matrix, we were talking about Bronny, and he’s had some really good days in August and September,” Redick said. “He’s had three really good days this week. We’re really happy with his progress.”

LeBron-Bronny Historic Moment in Next Preseason Game?

Bronny’s father, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis sat out Friday night’s game as Redick held the Lakers stars out for rest following their stint in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Redick, however, said he expects James to suit up on October 6, against the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN.

But Redick did not discuss if LeBron and Bronny would play together.

Without LeBron and Davis in the preseason opener, Bronny was tied with Gabe Vincent for the eighth-most minutes in the Lakers rotation. So, there’s no assurance Bronny would get playing time in the next game, although there’s a chance since it’s only a preseason game.

Max Christie Shines

Third-year wing Max Christie led the Lakers in playing time. He responded with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 34 minutes. The 6-foot-5 wing shot well from the floor, making 5 of 9 shots.

“Max is an old soul,” Redick told reporters. “He’s wise and he’s mature and he takes this very seriously and I really appreciate that about him. So it’s not a surprise to me that, in a game like this, he plays a lot of minutes, he doesn’t hang his head, he just keeps competing. It’s going to be very valuable for us this year.”

Austin Reaves led the team in scoring with 16 points. He added seven assists, five rebounds and three steals but only shot 2 of 9 from the field as the focal point of the offense.