Bronny James has proven he deserves to be a Laker without LeBron
Ironically, you were cheering for Bronny James to play in the games. Or because you just wanted to see the story.
But now I bet you want to see Bronny get in the game to play hoops.
It’s a pretty cool twist.
Especially because LeBron James’ son has had to develop his game with the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, with the only expectation being that he fails to look like an NBA player.
But over the past two seasons, Bronny has become an NBA reserve worth rostering, whether his father is in the program or not.
Shocking, right?
Lakers guard Bronny James blocks a shot from Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk at Crypto.com Arena on February 10.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
For the second straight game Friday, Lakers coach JJ Redick called the second-year guard’s number for significant minutes of action.
Not doing household chores. Not as a gimmick to please the king. But because he needed a ball handler he could trust after the regular rotation went shaky in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 116-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.
For the second game in a row, Bronny helped support the Lakers. In four minutes, he deflected and scored a three-pointer that not only gave the Lakers a much-needed 9-0 lead, but was also the first father-to-son assisted basket in NBA history, on a pass from LeBron.
Pioneers, like at Sierra Canyon High School. That’s where the Nets’ Bronny and Ziaire Williams were teammates before Bronny and his father, “Big Bron,” were Williams’ opponents Friday.
His former teammate sees in Bronny what his current teammates do: a hard worker who only needs to nurture his confidence to be able to contribute in the NBA.
“He’ll be great,” Williams said. “Especially starting on the defensive end. He can guard one through four, completely pick up [court,] have good ball pressure. On the offensive side, he’s a player. He can shoot, he can drive the ball. He can open up his teammates. The most important thing about him is to keep this confidence.
“When he’s confident and he’s in a state of flow, in rhythm, he’s a very, very good player. … He just has to keep working.”
Bronny has worked in the G League the past two seasons, bouncing between the major leagues and the developmental circuit, where last season his averages were solid — including 21.9 points per game — but nowhere near as efficient as this season. In 13 games, he averaged 14.8 points on 54.7% shooting, including 41.7% from three points.
Lakers forward LeBron James greets his son, guard Bronny James, on the court during a game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on November 25.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“It just goes back to where he was before the incident,” LeBron said Friday, referring to Bronny’s cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect on July 24, 2023.
“He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He’s shot the ball at a high level almost throughout his playing years. So I just think there’s the confidence in the rhythm and getting the strength back and his wind and everything. It’s all just coming back.”
This trickles down to the big club; Bronny is shooting 41.9 percent from three-point range in instances where Redick has called on him — as he also did in a 137-130 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
In this victory, Bronny had four points, two steals and a block in 13 minutes. Redick credited the 21-year-old with settling the team with a pull-up jumper with 3:55 left, which was the second this season that LeBron and Bronny had played together.
The first time this happened, in the 2024 season opener, the prevailing thought was that it wouldn’t happen again for a long time — and if it did, something probably went very wrong for the Lakers in that game.
But that’s not the case. No, because Bronny made a compelling case as an NBA player.
“I’ve wanted to play basketball my whole life,” Bronny said. “It’s a dream come true. I’m so blessed to be able to play basketball for a job and I love every second of it. My teammates embrace it. I’m best friends with all my teammates and my coaches. I’m just happy to be here.”
He’s become an effective plug-and-play piece — and not on a tank Nets team that regularly lacks G League-caliber players, but on a playoff-bound Lakers team that has won 14 of its last 16 games.
Pick No. 55 in the 2024 draft, Bronny surpassed Dalton Knecht, the 17th pick in that same draft, in the Lakers pecking order.
He’s become a player you can rely on, and he’s especially valuable to a team that sorely needs youth and athleticism, as the Lakers do.
Do you want to talk about twists and turns? What about what happens to LeBron – when or if he retires – the Lakers should seriously consider keeping Bronny in the fold. Seriously.
