In the sixth game of the preseason, against the Warriors, Lakers rookie guard Bronny James finally made an impression after taking a lot of heat for his poor play in the previous five games. Despite the team’s tough loss, Bronny’s breakout performance earned praise from head coach JJ Redick.
Despite the Lakers’ 58-point loss, Bronny James stood out by scoring 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. At the press conference, Coach JJ Redick gave a shout-out to Bronny for handling the pressure from the media and putting on a solid performance.
Redick said, “He’s a very grounded young man… It’s a couple of conversations that I’ve had with him, just about, what it’s like to be him. And so there’s some amazing things that come with being him. There’s probably some hard things that come with being him too, and I think he has handled it with a lot of class and grace.”
When asked about Bronny’s scoring, the head coach emphasized his overall growth. He said, “I’m absolutely thrilled he scored 17 points. But my primary focus is on his overall growth as a player. His improved attention to detail has truly stood out to me. I see real progression in all our young players, which is encouraging.”
Magic Johnson believes Bronny James is in great hands with the Lakers
Lakers great Magic Johnson recently said that he was optimistic about Bronny James’ future, even though he has been having a rough patch lately. Johnson said on his X account that Bronny had a high basketball IQ and he loved competing. He believes with hard work, Bronny will earn a spot in the Lakers’ rotation and play significant minutes this season.
Johnson tweeted, ““I have to tell you Bronny James is going to be a really good basketball player. He showed he has a few things you simply can’t teach-high basketball IQ, athleticism, and a competitive spirit that makes him a tenacious defender! I believe after a lot of hard work this season, he’ll definitely be in the Lakers’ rotation and playing heavy minutes.””
