The Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason opener on Friday wasn’t pretty. With stars LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Marcus Smart all sitting out, second-year guard Bronny James had a rare chance to take center stage. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned.
James went 1-for-12 from the field and 1-for-8 from deep in a 103–81 loss to the Phoenix Suns, numbers that quickly fueled debate about whether he belongs in the league.
Still, Lakers head coach JJ Redick saw positives.
“He is so much more comfortable and confident as a player,” Redick said to ESPN. “Skill-wise, read-wise, all of those things have improved, but there’s a big difference between improving those things in individual workouts and small group settings, and doing it 5-on-5. … He’s a totally different player than he was a year ago. I thought the stuff that he did down in the G League last year was huge for him in developing a comfort level in playing at this level.”
That praise aligns with assistant coach Nate McMillan’s comments during summer league in July, when he said James appeared “more comfortable, relaxed and confident,” which led to him “shooting the basketball better.”
Not everyone shared that optimism. Former NBA player Kwame Brown didn’t hold back after Friday’s game.
“And this ain’t year one. This is year two. This don’t make no sense,” Brown said on his podcast. “We got high school players better than Bronny. Absolutely got high school players better than Bronny. Bronny was never the best high school player on his team. He was never the best college player on his team. And he still gets 12 shots in a preseason game where everybody’s auditioning.”
James’ efficiency issues date back to last season, when he shot 31.3 percent from the field and 28.1 from three while averaging just 2.3 points per game in 27 appearances.
Despite outside criticism, Redick’s message remains clear, Bronny’s progress is measured in growth, not stat lines.