Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has been in the spotlight from when he was in high school up until he was drafted by the organization in the second round this past summer. The former USC Trojan is a project that needs time to develop as a player and plenty of harmful narratives have been thrown his way.
Thankfully, James seems to be paying no mind to what people have to say about him. In reality, there is no rush for the 20-year-old to pan out instantly, especially given L.A.’s current reliance on veteran talent.
This allows for James to play in the G League and develop his game with the the South Bay Lakers. On Saturday, the rookie dropped a career-high 16 points and four rebounds in a win, which prompted him to speak about how his development is going so far, via Raj Chipalu of Clutch Points:
“I think it’s good. Game by game trying to learn everything I can. Always just staying aggressive and playing my game. Playing for my teammates and coaches. It’s been good so far.”
Head coach JJ Redick wants to create a program and develop talent in-house. This is something that the Lakers are not familiar with as a franchise, as they usually trade or sign necessary talent to contend for championships.
Broony’s development is going to be interesting to monitor with his performances in the G League since he is not getting minutes with the parent club. Confidence is an integral part of basketball, so obtaining that is step one for the second round pick as he is over a year removed from suffering cardiac arrest.
Hopefully, being able to have a performance like this is a step in the right direction. Granted, James did not shoot the ball great, going 6-for-15 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range. However, just seeing consecutive shots go down is a part of the process and continuing that aggressive mindset when he is with South Bay is key.
Quincy Olivari expresses support for Bronny James
A positive to playing with the South Bay Lakers is forming new on-court relationships with fellow rookies or second-year players. Having a more formidable role offensively can also help Bronny James find confidence as he adjusts to the NBA playstyle.
Fellow teammate and two-way player Quincy Olivari earned this same opportunity with the Lakers. Now, Olivari and James are trying to earn their stripes. Given who James’ father is, there is always going to be noise, but Olivari recently expressed support for his teammate.
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