The gamble the Lakers made on Bronny James still carried enormous baggage, their second-round pick impossible to separate from the team’s star who has made no secret of his desire to play with his son.
Bronny James’ first NBA appearance was on opening night, long before he was ready. His first points, in Cleveland, came when the game was decided. And his early outings in the G League were only mildly encouraging, if at all.
Yet after fading from the spotlight due to a heel injury that cost him several weeks, James returned to the South Bay Lakers team, surprising many people by playing road games, not to mention the figures he produced.
In his last three G League games, James has averaged 20.7 points on 43.1 percent shooting while showing flashes of being the kind of defender the Lakers hope he can become. James will play for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA’s G League showcase this week in Orlando.
“What we stressed with him throughout the summer, preseason and early season was to get into elite shape so he could be an impact player high level defensively,” said the Lakers coach. JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday. “And then he hurt his heel and has to lose some of that momentum. (But) we’re excited about what he’s done over the last two games and can’t wait to see what he does in the lineup.
James’ real breakout game came on Thursday, when he scored 30 points (and made 23 shots) in a game. He followed that up with 16 points the next time he played.
Learn more: LeBron James returns and Lakers overcome Anthony Davis injury scare in victory
“Just keep stacking the days, keep working. Work always wins in the end,” LeBron James said the message to his son on Sunday. “It’s just great to see him get back into the flow, get back to his game, get back to him playing free and going out and just playing the game that he loves and knows how to play. I loved his aggression. He was aggressive from start to finish in both games.
The aggression part is a challenge to Bronny James’ personality. It was a move that scouts used against him during the evaluation process before college. But this, like everything Redick said, can be learned if the motivation is there.
And on a team-wide level, Redick said he knows how to motivate his players.
“It’s not a punishment, it’s…either you’re going to do the things we ask you to do and you’re going to play, or you’re not going to do those things and you’re not going to play,” Redick said. “It’s very simple. And that’s exactly how I’m going to coach the basketball team going forward. So I think not just for Bronny, us, what we envision him to be able to play and impact victory, he has to be able to base himself, do those things. It’s no different than. Max Christie Or Daltonthe Lakers’ first-round pick). And if you do these things, you will be rewarded by the game.
“…In the development process, if you are clear about what you want and you do the things we ask of you, you will be rewarded. So that’s kind of how you teach it.
Redick said Tuesday that coaching Bronny James is different because his situation is different than any other player who has entered the NBA. None of them had LeBron James for a father.
“It has to get to the point where it’s OK to fail,” Redick said. “I think he has a real reservation about failure. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he’s had a camera on him since he was 8 years old. I can’t, I can’t imagine (my sons) Knox and Kai having cameras at their recreational league games I think once he develops that he’ll take off, literally take off. He’ll do anything we do to him. will ask us to do. we asked him.
“It’s really part of player development, not just physical skills and physical development, but also mental development.”
Christie said the pressure on any young player is amplified in a Lakers uniform, let alone one with “James Jr.” on the back.
“Being a part of the Lakers brings a lot of extra things, just because we are the biggest franchise in the world,” Christie said. “…It’s hard to fail against the Lakers because I feel like every mistake you make, at least I felt like my rookie year and even a little bit last year , is highlighted in bold.”
Christie got away with it, even this season, by using the experience of a poor decision to foul late in the Lakers’ loss to Oklahoma City to improve in clutch situations.
“It wasn’t easy to fail,” he said. “I felt like it was really hard. You look at social media and all these negative comments and stuff like that. And so, I learned to adapt and grow where I stay out of that now, for the most part, And also, internally with myself and my own voice in my head, my own confidence, my own self-esteem, learning that it’s okay to fail and knowing that it’s okay to fail. before succeeding. Failure is a stepping stone to success. success You learn, you grow.
“I don’t know any truly talented person who has been successful their whole life. They failed at times in the spotlight. They failed in the dark. So you’re going to fail at some point and you just have to take it on the chin and find a way to improve.
Learn more: Max Christie makes his case to be the Lakers’ next stopper
The Lakers and Christie think Bronny James can do it.
“I mean, this kid is a good player, man. I mean, no matter what anyone says about him, ‘He’s not good enough.’ Yada yada yada. This kid is a good player,” Christie said. “He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.” So he grew up a lot just by being with us. I think having LeBron as someone around him a lot, he learned. Obviously he knows a lot about this stuff. And then also adding him to a team, he asks a ton of questions, he’s attentive to details, and you can see him getting into a rhythm a little bit in the G League now.
“So obviously, like I said earlier, you’re going to fail before you succeed and everyone has their own journey. And it turns out that his is truly in the spotlight. But some people don’t realize that it takes time to get used to something new, especially at the professional level. So he just takes his time. He takes his own steps. He is going through his own journey and we all believe in him. Everyone in this organization believes in him. So that’s all you need for a young man.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
