Nate McMillan says Bronny James could get rotation minutes next season

Yahoo

3 days ago

This summer has been a good one for Bronny James. He impressed during his Summer League games, demonstrating that his talent is beyond that level of competition.
Head coach JJ Redick believes he can be a great player if he gets into 'elite shape,' and now we have lead assistant coach Nate McMilllain is praising Bronny as well.
McMillian appeared on 'The Sports Shop with Reese and K-Mac' and said that Bronny could be a rotation player for the Lakers as early as this year.
'We've seen a lot of growth from year one. He had, I thought, a really good Summer League this year. A young guy like that coming in with this type of pressure that he came into the league with last year was unbelievable. When we played in the Las Vegas Summer League last year and this year, his games were sold out to see him. The fanbase has really, I think for the most part, been really supportive of him.
'He spent a lot of time in the G League this season and I really feel that helped him because when he came out into this Summer League…you could see the confidence. He was much more relaxed than he was last year. Everybody would have been as nervous as can be last season but he was much more relaxed this season.
'His shot was never broken but the confidence, you could see he was knocking down those shots, getting to the basket. Defensively, we wanted him to challenge himself to pick up the ball…I love Bronny. Great young man and we expect him to possibly get some minutes this year.'
Bronny played in 27 games for the Lakers last season. However, a large chunk of his minutes occurred during garbage time.
Going from that to being a rotational player would be an incredible growth for him. While this would be a surprise, it wouldn't be a shock. After his early-season struggles last year, he has consistently gotten better in the G League and during his NBA minutes.
He's beginning to show signs that he can be a good defensive player in the backcourt and has the handles to help run an offense. Once you also factor in his burst of speed, quick hands and strength, it's not hard to imagine he can be a backup guard in the NBA for years to come.
We still need to see more consistency from Bronny, but entering his second season, it seems he'll have the opportunity in training camp to make a case as one of the ten or so players who consistently play in games.
If he's able to accomplish that, it means the Lakers taking him with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft would be one of the best selections from that class, considering his production and where he was drafted.
Bronny has been a hard worker for the Lakers and despite all the hoopla, he's stayed focused and his development has been nothing but encouraging.
If he keeps this up, the best is yet to come for Bronny and he'll soon be adding his name to the list of Lakers draft picks that panned out.
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