JJ Redick: Bronny James Was 'Put in a Tough Spot' by Lakers After Struggles vs. 76ers

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick commented on Bronny James' struggles during the Lakers' 118-104 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

Bronny, who was recalled from the G League on Monday, played a season- and career-high 15 minutes off the bench, finishing with no points on 0-for-5 shooting, along with three rebounds, one assists, one block and three turnovers.

After the game, Redick told reporters that the rookie was placed in a difficult position to succeed, saying: "Maybe put him in a tough spot. 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]."

Since making his debut in the Lakers' season opener and becoming one half of the first father-son duo in NBA history alongside his dad, LeBron James, Bronny has played sparingly for the Lakers and spent time shuttling between the NBA and the G League.

Prior to Tuesday, Bronny had not played more than five minutes in an NBA game, and although he saw action in five previous games this month, he only played a grand total of 11 minutes across those contests.

The No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft has scored just four points all season at the NBA level, but his talent has been on full display in the G League.

In three appearances for the South Bay Lakers, Bronny is averaging 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.7 three-pointers made and 2.0 steals, while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and a sizzling 45.8 percent from beyond the arc.

There was plenty of criticism when the Lakers drafted Bronny due to the belief that nepotism played a role. It can be argued that Bronny did not put up draft-worthy numbers in his only collegiate season at USC when he averaged 4.8 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting.

Being the son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer and arguably the greatest player in league history likely played a role in Bronny getting drafted, but he has shown on multiple occasions in the G League that he possesses a ton of potential.

Entering Tuesday's game, Bronny was coming off scoring a career-high 31 points in the G League, and Redick noted that he thought it would be good to get some fresh legs on the floor on the second night of back-to-back games, saying: "Just felt like on a back-to-back, just him giving us energy, I think, was the goal. I have confidence in him, but obviously didn't provide that at a high level."

Bronny noted his call up from the G League "came out of nowhere," although he expressed his belief that he is "a whole lot more prepared now" than he was earlier in the season.

L.A. dropped to 26-19 on the season with Tuesday's loss, snapping a four-game winning streak in the process.

Despite the loss, the Lakers are still fifth in the Western Conference, which is an ideal spot to be in given that the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds will have to go through the postseason play-in tournament to reach the playoffs.

The Lakers are only up 1.5 games on the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves, though, so they can ill afford to get complacent.

With every game being so meaningful in the deep and competitive Western Conference, it is fair to wonder if Redick will think twice about giving Bronny extensive playing time again this season.

The Lakers will return to action Thursday for a road game against the 6-39 Washington Wizards.