Ever since he was drafted by his dad’s team, Bronny James has been a lightning rod for criticism. People are free to say what they want about his game, but anyone watching would have to agree that Bronny has handled his early pro career with nothing but class. He’s said all the right things, and he’s been willing to do anything the team has asked of him as he seeks to become a legit rotation player.
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Slowly but surely, Bronny is carving out a role on the Lakers. He’s not being asked to score or make plays, because the Lakers have plenty of that with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Now that Bronny’s dad is back after missing the first month of the season, offense is really not a problem.
Luka and Reaves aren’t known for being defensive dynamos, though they’ve each made strides in that area this year. Likewise, at this point of his career, LeBron isn’t the defensive player he once was, so the Lakers could use all the defensive help they can get. Bronny has been happy to provide that as he’s played over 10 minutes per game.
LeBron has taken great joy in being able to play on the same team as his son, and he’s loved watching him develop as a player. On the newest Mind the Game episode, he spoke about the growth he’s witnessed.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Not only as a father, but just as a student of the game, to see someone use what he was able to do last year in the G League, use that, get more comfortable, then go into Summer League, and be even more comfortable. When his time has been called this year, just continue to feel good about it.”
LeBron said that getting so many reps is exactly what a young player needs to grow. He also brought up Bronny’s performance in a back-to-back earlier this month in which he played 18 and then 19 minutes in two Lakers wins as a clear sign of his development.
“I was just super proud of him, of the maturation process of him being able to not only play well at home, and then have a back-to-back in a tough environment in Portland, and then do it again. That’s what the NBA is all about.”
Even James Worthy had praised Bronny after that game, calling it the “best game of his NBA career.”
Steve Nash always asks such insightful questions, and he did again here when he asked LeBron to describe how he straddles the line of being a team leader and a father.
“It is a fine line,” LeBron said, “but when we’re in practice and in games and things of that nature, it’s the leadership. I’m one of the guys, I’m one of the leaders of the team, but we have our side time where I can tell him about what I’ve seen, what I saw, whatever.”
Still, he stressed that at the end of the day, he can do what he can to help Bronny, but his son’s success in the league will be based on what Bronny does himself.
“He has to walk his own journey,” LeBron explained. “And I can give him the blueprint, and I can give him some of the things that I’ve seen, but I want him to walk through the fire as well.”
“That’s going to be the best teacher for him, for him to be able to go through these experiences and come out the best way he knows how. He loves the game, and that’s what’s most important, and he loves the work, and there’s no substitution for hard work,” the time NBA champion explained.
Some people wondered how the LeBron/Bronny dynamic would impact team chemistry, but it sure looks like it hasn’t been a problem. The Lakers are tied for second in the West at 13-4, and they’ve won all three games since LeBron has made his season debut.
