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Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts with head coach JJ Redick.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick set out what he would like to see from Bronny James, who will see action in the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando this week.
The Lakers have decided to let Bronny showcase his new-found confidence in front of scouts and decision-makers from all 30 NBA teams in partnership with his agents at Klutch Sports, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin.
“He’s got to get to the point where it’s okay to fail,” Redick told reporters after the Lakers’ December 17 practice. “I think he has a real reservation to fail.
“And I think a lot of that is, he’s had a camera on him since he was eight years old… He’s had attention on him. I’m cognizant of that. I think once he develops that, he’s going to take off.”
Bronny has started to take off in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, as he scored in double digits in his last three outings. The 55th overall pick had a career-high 30 points on December 12 in South Bay’s heartbreaking 106-100 loss to the Western Conference leader Valley Suns in Phoenix.
He followed it up with a 16-point effort the following night against the same team in a 102-91 loss.
Redick is excited to see his progress.
“Part of player development is not just the physical skills, and the physical development, but it is the mental development as well,” Redick added.
LeBron to Bronny: ‘Just Keep Stacking Days’
Bronny’s father, LeBron James, shared to reporters after his return from an eight-day break that he watched both Bronny’s games remotely.
“Just keep stacking the days,” LeBron told reporters when asked to comment about Bronny’s game after the Lakers’ 116-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on December 15. “Keep putting in the work. The work always prevails at the end of the day.
“It’s just great to see him getting back into the flow, getting back to his game, getting
back to him just playing free and going out and just playing the game he loves and knows how to play.”
In his last three G League games, Bronny averaged 20.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 rebounds in 24.3 minutes.
South Bay will open its G League Showcase campaign in Orlando against the Greensboro Swarm on Thursday, December 19. The most important event in the G League calendar will run until December 22.
Bronny will miss the Lakers’ back-to-back road games against the Sacramento Kings on December 19 and 21 while he is in Orlando.
His next chance to suit up for the Lakers will be on December 23 against the Detroit Pistons at home.
Playing Time Is Night and Day in NBA and G League
Playing time has been scarce for Bronny in the NBA as he only appeared in six games, averaging 2.6 minutes of playing time.
With Bronny not part of the Redick’s rotation, the Lakers’ decision to let him get more run in the G League is a massive boost to the 20-year-old rookie’s development.
“I think where I’ve seen [his progress] on the court in the G League, I think some decision-making with the basketball, being on ball and making good decisions both as a scorer and as a playmaker,” Redick said, per ESPN. “Continuing to see the flashes defensively of what we’re really excited about.”
After a tentative start in his first two games in the G League, Bronny is now averaging 14.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.1 minutes as a starter for South Bay.
“It feels good to be here with my guys,” Bronny told reporters after his career game. “I just want to play, that’s the main thing. So I just came out here with the G and got some work done, and I just want to play.”
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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