JJ Redick 'Impressed' with Bronny Dealing with 'Bulls--t' Because He's LeBron's Son
After Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James had the best game of his young career in Thursday night's 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach JJ Redick had high praise for the 20-year-old.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Redick said after the game that he's been impressed with the youngster's ability to overcome the negative attention he's received throughout his first year in the NBA simply because he's the son of Lakers star LeBron James.
"I've just been impressed with the person that he is," Redick said. "And to deal with … frankly, bulls--t because of who his dad is and just keep a level head about it and be a class act says a lot about him, says a lot about that family. And the way LeBron and Savannah have raised him was obvious to me from the moment I started spending time with him on the court this summer. He was certainly going to be an NBA player, and I still believe that he'll be an NBA player."
The Lakers were playing their sixth game in the last eight days and were without multiple starters due to injuries or rest, and Bronny James took full advantage of his opportunity off the bench. He played 30 minutes, the second-highest total on the team, and tied for the team high with 17 points. He shot 7-of-10 from the field and added five assists, three rebounds and a block.
McMenamin noted that prior to Thursday's impressive outing, James averaged 1.6 points on 26.3 percent shooting in 4.7 minutes per game through 21 games.
He's been more impressive in nine outings with the Lakers' G League affiliate in South Bay, averaging 20.6 points on 43.1 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 33.5 minutes per game. Redick added that he believes the first-year guard has a bright future in the NBA.
"I think his confidence is growing. … I think the next step is just becoming an elite-conditioned athlete," Redick said. "Because when [he] does that, with his physical tools and his burst and his handle -- and we think he's going to be an above-average to really good NBA shooter -- he's going to have a chance to really make an impact."
