Bronny James Drops 17 points, Shows His Potential
Bronny James made history Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he had a breakout game. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie played 30 minutes against the Bucks and ended the game with 17 points and 5 assists, including shooting 2-4 from beyond the arc and 70% overall. With that stat line, he became the youngest Lakers rookie since Magic Johnson in 1979 to accomplish that feat.
What’s perhaps even more amazing is the confidence level he showed, and the fluidity in his game that he displayed. He played very aggressive, made good reads, and wasn’t hesitant to shoot or drive. He even attempted to take it to the rim vs Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the ball was stripped and went out of bounds. The performance Bonny James put on certainly made a lot of sports media personalities perk up their ears, particularly Stephen A. Smith and Gilbert Arenas. When discussing the game James had, Stephen A. Smith admitted that he may have been off with his early opinions of Bronny.
“I might’ve been wrong. Are you listening LeBron James? Are you listening James family? My position was all along Bronny James needed to be in the G League. Put him in the G League, let him be in the G league his first year, and then after that let him come on.”
Smith then concluded by saying that James’s time with the Lakers organization and the personnel they have is rubbing off on the rookie.
“Evidently being around JJ Redick and that staff and being around pops and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers combined with the G League going back and forth may be doing wonders for him sooner than we anticipated because I like what i saw last night.”
Smith must have forgot that the Lakers have three incredibly intelligent member of their team in JJ Redick, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic when he first said that Bronny should stay in the G League. In fact, many analysts heavily criticized the fact that Bronny was playing in Lakers home games and only averaging 1.6 points per game, while averaging over 20 points per game in the G League.
But between the combined genius of LeBron James and JJ Redick, it’s almost a no-brainer that Bronny would have an accelerated learning and development process. Besides, his dad is referred to as the smartest player to ever play, so naturally Bronny’s baseline would be way higher than other players in the draft.
Gilbert Arenas Has Been Saying Bronny James Has Big Potential
When Gilbert Arenas recalled training Bronny, he talked about one particular day where Bronny was struggling against Skyy Clark.
“Bronny’s getting beat on, and I was like ‘Hey man, stand up for yourself!’ The look he gave me… he got the ball, came down, Euro’d with the palm, just palmed it like Kawhi… and went to the rim. I was like ‘oh s***.’
He’s defended James many times when asked if he’s NBA ready and has referenced what he saw that day in practice nearly every time. Clearly Bronny made a huge impression on Arenas that day. He would later say in another discussion that he’s basically holding himself back when asked if he is an NBA player.
“If he turns on his tiger, for sure. He has the Bugatti engine, but he wants to drive the speed limit. That’s the person I’ve seen, so I know what’s sitting inside of him.”
Arenas sparked a huge debate on his show when he took the conversation further with a huge statement.
“If Bronny played 36 minutes, he’d average 12,4,4. He’d be Top 5 for Rookie of the Year.
There was a narrative on his G League play that he’s not even good enough for the G League. Then he started dominating, then they’re quiet. Oh, look at his NBA numbers. If you take everybody in his draft and you do a per 36, that is where he will rank.”
The fact that everyone knows his name and his stats as a 55th pick is what really gets to Arenas. He came into the league with first rounder expectations as one of the last picks in the draft all because he’s the son of LeBron James. However, with the help of JJ Redick and the new player development program for the Lakers, his best NBA game is yet to come.
Bronny James Is Case Study #1 For Lakers Player Development
In addition to having high IQ individuals like LeBron James as a father and teammate and JJ Redick as a coach, he’s also now teammates with Luka Doncic. Luka is credited and known for having an amazing eye and understanding of the game. He, along with LeBron are two of, if not the top two smartest players in the NBA. They’re coached by a very intelligent veteran, run a very smart and tactical style of defense, and have a fast-paced read driven offense. They play small ball and use their shooting and athleticism to make up for their lack of size, a system which is looking to be perfect for the 6-foot 3 James.
Bronny James wasn’t even thought of as a player that could learn and develop through osmosis from being around the Lakers. Even though his potential was hyped up before the season began, the world was too focused on how and why he got into the league. He was quickly dismissed by many as too small and only found himself with an NBA contract because of who his dad is. When asked about the constant media storm surrounding him, he was honest and open about his experiences thus far.
“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day. But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—ing robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.”
It should come as no surprise that he’s developing so quickly due to JJ Redick’s preseason emphasis on improving the Laker’s player development program.
“Bronny has earned this through hard work and for us prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as like case study one because of his base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defense, shooting, passing. There’s a lot to like about his game… He’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”
Redick also outlined what the program would focus on, describing what he called a “holistic” approach to player development.
“When people talk about player development they talk about ball handling, and shooting, and passing, and certainly the mechanics of basketball are an important part of player development. But it’s also tactical. It’s about reads, it’s about incorporating film, incorporating analytics…”
With a lot of work and a little luck, Bronny James could be suiting up as a starter next year. With an entire season split between the NBA and G League, he’ll be able to experience both and have a constant comparison of the two leagues.
Going from the skill level of the G league players to NBA players, then back down gives him invaluable experience of competing at the highest level. Seeing and fighting through professional defenses to get open shots or creating space in the NBA is a lot more difficult than in the G League. Plus, the experience he gets being around the Lakers in practice and running in an NBA system will surely continue to help him improve quickly.
Stephen A. Smith and many other critics will still have a lot to talk about when it comes to Bronny James for years to come. Hopefully after a little time, the heat will die down and the Lakers rookie can just focus on playing and not the constant flow of negative media narratives.
For more NBA or NCAA content, visit HardwoodHeroics.com
For Jesse’s page, click here.
Follow Jesse on X: @JaxKellington23
Follow HardwoodHeroics on Newsbreak.com
Similar Stories:
New Look Lakers May Win 18th Title Thanks To JJ Redick
