Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick outlined the next step for Bronny James to become an NBA-level rotation player after the rookie guard’s breakthrough performance.
“I think the next step is just becoming an elite-conditioned athlete,” Redick told reporters following the Lakers’ 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, March 20. “Because when [he] does that, with his physical tools and his burst and his handle — and we think he’s going to be an above-average to really good NBA shooter — he’s going to have a chance to really make an impact.”
With six of their key rotation players, including four starters out, Bronny took advantage of the opportunity to play big minutes. The 20-year-old rookie delivered his finest NBA performance to date with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting overall and 2-of-4 from the 3-point line.
Bronny’s father, LeBron James (left groin), missed his seventh straight game while Austin Reaves (right ankle) and Luka Dončić (right ankle) took the night off at the backend of a back-to-back schedule.
Rui Hachimura (left knee) Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right groin) were also not available.
JJ Redick ‘Not Surprised’
Redick used all healthy players on the roster as they looked overmatch against the Bucks. The loss snapped their nine-game home winning streak but Bronny provided the silver lining.
Bronny played a career-high 30 minutes off the bench as fellow rookie Dalton Knecht, who also dropped 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting, led the Lakers in scoring. Bronny also co-led the team in assists with five, along with veteran guard Jordan Goodwin, who is on a two-way contract. He added three rebounds and a block to round up his solid production.
“Not surprised by tonight,” Redick said of James. “I think his confidence is growing.”
It was so evident in his performance.
Bronny vs Giannis
Towards the end of the first half, Bronny found himself cross-switched with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Instead of getting intimidated by the former MVP, Bronny became audacious as he dribbled behind his back past Antetokounmpo to the delight of the home crowd before losing the ball out of bounds. It was Bronny’s second of four turnovers, a wrinkle to his game that he needs to clean up.
Nevertheless, his boldness to take one of the best defenders in the league one-on-one showed how far he’s come in his first year as a pro.
“He’s a much bigger guy than me,” Bronny said of Antetokounmpo, who is eight inches taller. “So I just got to find a way to get around him somehow. May have got fouled. That’s up for argument, but it is what it is. I tried to get me a bucket.”
But more than Bronny’s rapid development as a pro, Redick is more impressed with his great character.
“I’ve just been impressed with the person that he is,” Redick told reporters. “And to deal with … frankly, [expletive] 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 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.”
