Regardless what narratives surround Bronny James, the Los Angeles Lakers believe in the young guard’s potential. He didn’t play much during his rookie season, as many aspects of his game required refinement, but that most likely won’t be the case for his sophomore season. Bronny’s most pivotal polishing experience came in the middle of the 2024-25 NBA season.
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On January 28, the opportunity Bronny was waiting for finally came knocking. The Lakers arrived in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Lakers backup point guard Gabe Vincent was out with a left knee injury, and Bronny was fresh off a 31-point performance with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League.
Needing a guard on the court, head coach JJ Redick threw Bronny into the fire. That turned out to be the wrong decision. James struggled through 15 minutes of play. He went 0-5 from the field and tallied three turnovers. To make matters worse, his matchup, Tyrese Maxey, exploded for 43 points. A good portion came when Bronny was his primary defender.
Instead of blaming Bronny for his poor performance, Redick immediately assumed the blame for the entire ordeal.
“Maybe put him in a tough spot,” Redick said in his post-game press conference. “Flying up yesterday, nationally televised game in Philly and all that stuff. He didn’t play well, but he’s been playing great in the stay-ready games, and he’s been playing great in the G [League].”
Redick’s gesture definitely eased some of Bronny’s burden, but it didn’t eliminate the awakening brought on by his poor performance.
“It was definitely like, ‘OK, this is where I stand right now. I need to just be better,'” Bronny said. “I need to get in the gym, get extra shots up, work on my body, work on my IQ, watch film, stuff like that with the coaches. So it was definitely an eye-opener for me.”
Bronny returned to the G-League, but he didn’t lose his role with the team. South Bay Lakers head coach Zach Guthrie wanted to improve the 20-year-old’s confidence, so he wouldn’t falter on an NBA court ever again. As a result, they agreed to a pact.
“It was just like, ‘You’re the point guard. We’re doing this,'” Guthrie proclaimed. “I was just like, ‘It’s your show, let’s go. The ball’s in your hands the entire game. We’re living and dying with it.'”
Guthrie’s words weren’t just a ploy to uplift Bronny. He catered the team’s entire offensive game plan around the 6-foot-2 guard. Once Bronny became comfortable, his production skyrocketed.
Bronny dominated in the last seven games of the G-League season. In those contests, he averaged 22.8 points, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Most importantly, he led the Lakers to a 5-2 record during that stretch.
Of course, Redick knew about the pact between Bronny and Guthrie. James’ progress over that time was extremely promising for the Lakers’ management. But it also played an important part in Redick’s personal life.
Redick’s 10-year-old son, Knox, loves basketball as well. In a game at AAU Nationals, Knox had a similar experience as Bronny’s performance against the Sixers.
“They played a really good team, and they had a number of kids that were big and strong and really talented,” Redick said. “And Knox kind of had a crisis-of-confidence moment.”
It was Knox’s first taste of failure. Instead of moping around, he quickly shifted his tone.
“The thing I shared with him was like, ‘Knox, this is the good stuff. When you fail, that’s the good stuff,'” Redick said. “That’s how you get better … He comes back from that trip, and it was, ‘Dad, I want to get stronger. I need to get stronger.’ It’s like, how else are we going to grow if we don’t test ourselves and fail?”
Bronny may not know it, but he is already inspiring others. As he continues to grow and thrive in the NBA, who knows what lengths the young star can reach?
