The undermanned Los Angeles Lakers were no match for the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, losing 118-89 at the Crypto.com Arena. It was an ugly loss for the Lakers, but there was one positive for them on the night: Bronny James.
The eldest son of LeBron James had the best game of his young career, putting up a career-high 17 points to go with three rebounds, five assists and one block against the Bucks.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was impressed by what he saw and spoke about the next step for the guard.
“I think the next step is just becoming an elite conditioned athlete,” Redick said, via Spectrum Sportsnet. “When he does that with his physical tools and his burst and his handle, we think he’s gonna be an above average to really good NBA shooter. He’s gonna have a chance to really make an impact.”
“Not surprised by tonight, I think his confidence is growing… certainly an NBA player.”
JJ Redick speaks with @LakersReporter and the media about Bronny James’ career night, as the Lakers lose to the Bucks 118-89. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/f0nexOshLi
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 21, 2025
Redick has set a clear goal for James to work toward. His growing confidence has led to him becoming more comfortable on the court and showing that he does belong. Now, James needs to improve his conditioning to get a step closer to becoming a part of the rotation for the Lakers.
Redick also spoke about James’ shooting and that’s an area where he’s done well recently. He has shot 41.2% from three in his last seven games in the NBA, and if you shoot that well on a consistent basis, you’ll certainly have a long career in the league.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
James has also been knocking down shots at a solid rate in the G League, shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc in the regular season and averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He is slowly but surely starting to prove the doubters wrong.
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