With LeBron James missing all of training camp and the first 14 games of the regular season, for the first time in his NBA career, all he could do at the beginning of the year was watch and observe.
Not only did he see the Lakers get off to a 10-4 start, but he witnessed the growth and development of Bronny James.
It started in the Summer League, where he was one of the best players on the court in Las Vegas. Then, when the season truly began, Bronny started against the Bucks and had one of his best statistical
games against the Hawks, going 4-6 from the field and scoring 9 points.
On a recent episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast, LeBron James talked about the joy he takes in watching Bronny grow as a player from the sidelines.
“It’s been great. Not only as a father but as a student of the game, to see someone use what he was able to do last in the G League, use that, get more comfortable, then go into Summer League and be even more comfortable and when his time has been called this year, just continue to feel good about it. I think, for a young player, the more and more time that you get, the better you get.
“The more and more the nuances you get. You get better with the speed, you get better with the strength, you get better with everything. I think in those games where Luka was out or AR was out or Marcus was out…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.”
Every NBA player’s development is different, but Bronny’s in particular was very unique. As part of the first NBA father-son duo, the microscope on him is utterly ridiculous, especially for a late second-round pick.
While he seemed to handle it well, Bronny did admit the pressure got to him during his rookie year. Now that the attention has subsided, he can just play his game.
Even with media noise quieting down, Bronny is still in a very unique situation. His literal Dad is not only his NBA coworker, but is also one of the greatest players ever.
For Bronny, though, there’s not much he can do about that. LeBron is the one who has to figure out how to balance that dynamic, which he elaborated on during the podcast episode.
“I think, for me, it is a fine line. When we’re in practice and 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 or whatever. He has to walk his own journey and I can give the blueprint and I can give him some of things that I’ve seen but I want him to walk through the fire as well. I think that’s going to be the best teacher for him, for him to go through these experiences and come out the best way he knows how.”
Despite cynics being up in arms about the Bronny-LeBron dynamic, it’s never actually been a distraction.
Bronny continues to improve and looks increasingly more comfortable playing in NBA games. With the Lakers being one of the best teams in the Western Conference, it’ll be hard for him to play significant minutes consistently. Still, he’s staying ready, and if or when injuries hit the Lakers, he’ll certainly get some run and step up.
If Bronny keeps stacking days and getting better over time, he’ll maximize his potential and, at the end of the day, that’s what everyone wants.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
