Lakers' JJ Redick Sends Clear Message to Bronny James After NBA Summer League
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Aside from LeBron James' future and Luka Doncic's contract extension, one of the biggest offseason questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers is what role Bronny James will play in 2025.
There's no question the 20-year-old guard experienced a steep learning curve during his rookie season, in which he averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, 0.7 rebounds, and 6.7 minutes per game across 27 contests.
Bronny split time between the NBA and the G League, where he played in 18 games between the regular season and tip-off tournament for South Bay Lakers, averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per night, and he saw his playing time with the Lakers increase slightly toward the end of the regular season as the team battled injuries down the stretch.
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The former second-round pick showed some small flashes at different points last season, which included his nine-point game against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 12 and the 17-point, five-assist, three-rebound performance he had against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20 — all career highs.
So heading into Year 2 as a pro, many eyes will be on Bronny to see if he does, in fact, take the next step in his development and possibly carve out a role for himself with many expecting his father, LeBron, to move onto a new team in 2026.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick talks to Bronny James #9 during the first half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 18, 2024 in San Francisco,...
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick talks to Bronny James #9 during the first half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 18, 2024 in San Francisco, California. MoreAs Bronny finished up his second Summer League stint, Lakers head coach JJ Redick offered him a bit of advice on what to work on.
"The biggest thing for Bronny is that he has to get in elite shape," Redick told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "That's the barrier of entry for him right now. And if he does that, I think he's got a chance to be a really fantastic player in the NBA."
Redick also name-dropped two other NBA players he wants Bronny to model his game after — Miami Heat point guard Davion Mitchell and Indiana Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell — both of whom Redick says are shining examples of strong two-way play plus optimal stamina and physicality.
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In three Summer League appearances, Bronny showed signs of improvement from the same point last year, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per outing, and seemingly taking a step forward as a scorer.
His performance even landed him a spot on Jerry Jiang's top five sophomore standouts from the Summer League for NBA.com.
"The biggest difference was confidence — James simply looked more comfortable running the offense and continued to shoot the 3-point shot well," Jiang wrote.
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