The Los Angeles Lakers were rolling through opponents left and right, winning 15 of their last 17 games and battling for the No. 3 seed in a vaunted Western Conference.
However, the equation dramatically changed over the course of 24 hours when they lost both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to significant injuries. Now, head coach JJ Redick has to go deep into his bench to find solid rotational players, including giving an increased role to Bronny James.
Bronny James Has Earned the Trust of JJ Redick
Drafted as the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, James was the source of a lot of fan vitriol. Given the polarizing commentary surrounding LeBron James, a lot of criticism was levied at the Lakers for giving the second-generation star that opportunity.
However, in two years, the youngster has tried to carve out a role for himself while continuing to improve his game in the G League. Earning limited minutes throughout his sophomore season, he was used more frequently once LA lost its two stars.
Now, as the Lakers enter their first-round playoff series as heavy underdogs against the Houston Rockets, Redick believes James is going to have to play a bigger role.
“We’re gonna have to have all hands on deck for the series,” Redick said. “That’s just reality when you’re shorthanded. He’ll have to be ready, Nick [Smith Jr.] will have to be ready. I think Bronny’s improved a lot, and I think we trust him.”
Bronny is averaging just 2.9 points in less than nine minutes per game over 42 games. However, necessity has led to him taking on a bigger role in April, as he’s averaged close to 17 minutes per game and put up 7.2 points a night since the team’s injuries.
The biggest uptick, though, has been in his shooting. On the season, he’s knocking down 3-pointers at a healthy 38.6% clip, but in the month of April, that efficiency rose to 42.9%. And Redick doesn’t believe that improvement is an outlier.
“The shooting piece, I’m a believer in because of how well he shot it the last two years in the G League,” Redick explained.
However, the main area where James could turn out to be a major asset for the Lakers is on the defensive side of the ball, although there’s still one aspect of his defense that Redick hopes he will continue to evolve.
“He’s improved a ton defensively in terms of his body positioning both on and off ball,” Redick explained. “We want him to continue to evolve as a disruptive defender as well.”
Coming into the league, Bronny was projected as a defensive specialist. At the end of his second year, he has a perfect opportunity to showcase the hard work he’s been putting in behind the scenes. Now, as his opportunities increase, he could become the latest in a long list of players the Lakers have developed into valuable rotational pieces.
