JJ Redick feels Bronny James has had ‘really productive’ rookie season

Bronny James’ play with the Lakers and at South Bay has improved significantly and coach JJ Redick has noticed.

The amount of attention and scrutiny Bronny James received to start his NBA career was unprecedented for any late second-round pick.

A lot of that chatter and overanalyzation of every movement was disappointing, but Bronny navigated it well while trying to find his footing in the league.

He still has a long way to go before he’s a dependable rotation player, but he’s been making strides. In the G League with the South Bay Lakers, he’s averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists across seven regular season games.

Bronny only gets time with the main team at the end of games that have already been decided, but he's making the most of those minutes.

Ahead of the Lakers’ matchup against the Clippers on Sunday, coach JJ Redick discussed Bronny’s growth since the start of the season and how he’s adapting to playing in both the G League and the NBA.

“I think he’s had a really productive rookie season,” Redick said pregame on Sunday. “He’s gotten a lot better. We can see that. I think the first time you go through that as a rookie – sometimes you have to go through it for three or four years as well – it’s different to not play every night and particularly for a second round pick, it’s very common for them to sort of go back and forth between the NBA roster and the G League and go on assignment.”

Since Redick has taken over, he’s discussed South Bay as a “model of integration” for players to transition to the Lakers. In a little over half a season, we’ve already seen examples of this in all three two-way players Jordan Goodwin, Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison.

They are playing games for South Bay and the Lakers, impacting the main team when called up and getting the necessary reps to stay ready in the G League. Bronny is an even clearer example.

He’s had some stellar performances for the South Bay Lakers and while he hasn’t had that opportunity to showcase himself like that during the NBA regular season, he plays the right way even during garbage time for the purple and gold.

As a rookie, if he continues to improve and eventually becomes a mainstay in the roster, it’ll demonstrate that what the Lakers are doing systematically in the G League is working. They can find talent late in the draft and nurture it in South Bay.

For now, the Lakers are in an advantageous position where they can allow Bronny the time he needs to develop and are still competing at a high level in the West.

Let’s see how he continues improving throughout his rookie campaign and into the summer. Based on what we’ve already seen, Bronny will only get better the more reps he gets, whether at South Bay or with the Lakers.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.