After a rookie season where Bronny James primarily rode the bench, his sophomore campaign was much more positive.
He didn’t have any huge scoring nights, but he continued to develop as an on-ball initiator and a solid defender. Late into the regular season, when the Lakers’ backcourt was depleted with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out, head coach JJ Redick gave him a chance and he delivered.
Bronny scored 10 points in a win against the Warriors in March and come playoff time, he was part of the rotation
during the series against the Rockets. There were many fair and unfair questions about Bronny throughout his career, but this season was proof, even to his biggest haters, that he belongs.
During his exit interview, Bronny talked about his biggest takeaways from his second season in the NBA.
“That I can play at a higher level,” Bronny said. “That’s what I wanted to improve over this past couple of years and I was able to do that this year more than I was last year. It was a good year for me and I felt good about it.”
The biggest growth for Bronny had to be his ability to be a postseason player. Last season, he played only four playoff minutes, but this year he played 42 across eight postseason games.
During LA’s series against Houston, Bronny was on-ball playing short shifts. He looked good in those minutes and was even part of an iconic 10-point scoring surge in Game 3, during which he and his father scored every point.
“It was great,” Bronny said. “I mean, playoff experience in general. I wasn’t able to play in March in college, so it’s a step ahead of that and to be able to contribute and produce while doing it is just amazing for me. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”
Bronny is another example of why being patient is key when developing young players. A couple of years ago, Dalton Knecht was considered far ahead of Bronny, but now James is the player who can be trusted to perform during the most important games.
There is still work to do, but if Bronny can continue improving his 3-point shooting and become a lockdown defender, the backup guard role could be his next year. Bronny shot 38.6% from deep this season and has the speed necessary to be a perimeter defender.
So far, he’s shown an ability to improve each season, so if his second year is any indication, the best is yet to come for Bronny.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
