Bronny James‘ preseason struggles with the Los Angeles Lakers has left critics worried about his prospects in the upcoming 2024/25 NBA campaign as the 20-year-old son of LeBron James continues to struggle on offense.
The 55th pick in the draft from the USC Trojans, the point guard is known for his robust defense and his intense work rate but he struggles for offensive production having only offered up 0.7 points, one rebound and 0.3 assists per game through an 11.9 minute average from three appearances.
He also has a 9.1% field goal percentage but has produced one block per game and 1.7 turnovers per game which is not bad for a prospect, but is nowhere near the upper end of the class.
According to HoopsHype, their preseason player rankings from a Globalized Ratings list have James outside of the Top 30 thanks to his offense woes whilst Zaccharie Risacher tops the list with 18.3 points per game and three rebounds.
Are the Los Angeles Lakers worried?
So after spending their second-pick on the youngster, are the Los Angeles Lakers worried about him ahead of the season at the Crypto.com Arena?
The answer is no. Their new head coach, JJ Redick, revealed he knows the youngster is still developing his talent and has said that whilst he has a lot to learn he has the right mental qualities to succeed and is very “coachable”.
“On the offensive end, he’s still figuring out who he is,” Redick told media. “That’s our job as a player development program just to build him in. But truthfully, he’s so easy to coach.
“He’s got a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program.”
Additionally, the latest recruit to the Lakers’ organization told reporters that Redick has told him to focus on defense over offense and to aim to be as “disruptive” as possible.
“JJ has told me to be as disruptive as possible,” Bronny said. “Forcing me to disrupt the ball and pick up 94 feet, disrupt the ball screen, and stuff like that.”
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