LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick has asked second year player Bronny James to study the game of two key NBA role players for further development.
The former USC player did not have the best of rookie seasons, but showed massive improvement in his outings at the NBA Summer League.
He matched up against the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft Cooper Flagg and made himself known with good defensive resiliency.
Aside from that, Bronny James also showed other glimpses of brilliance, which the LA Lakers would be extremely happy about as he enters his sophomore season.
The 20-year-old averaged only 6.7 minutes with the Purple and Gold in his rookie season, but he has a plan to get into the rotation, but for that, JJ Redick has asked him to follow the game of two brilliant role players.
TJ McConnell and Davion Mitchell are two undersized guards who give their all for the team on both ends of the floor.
McConnell particularly has made a name for himself for his two-way performances throughout his decade-long career in the league. Mitchell, on the other hand, is one of the best on-ball defenders, and a key part of the Miami Heat rotation.
Learning from them will help James significantly, making him a tough opponent for the opposition.
“On every single possession, they’re [McConnell and Mitchell] in the game — whether that’s offensively or defensively — they’re able to impact it with how hard they play.
“With the defensive pickup points, the disruption, being able to get downhill,” said Redick in an interview with ESPN.
The Lakers coach gave Bronny praise after his rookie season, but he is aware that the second-year star has a lot to improve in order to become a high-level NBA player.
“I think we have all seen these amazing flashes of it from Bronny. And to get to that next level for him, it’s cardio fitness,” Redick added. “I get that there’s a history there of a really scary thing that he had to live through, and I think it’s tough to push past certain points for him, but he’s going to get there. He’s going to get there.”
Marcus Smart was one of the three players the Lakers decided to bring on board during free agency.
The former Defensive Player of the Year has had a lot of injury problems in recent years, but when he is fit, Smart is one of the most valuable players on the roster.
During his time with the Boston Celtics, the 31-year-old did not back down from any defensive assignment and could guard all positions.
Bronny will benefit massively from playing alongside a player like Smart, who has three All-Defensive First-Team Selections.
His offensive game also needs improvement, but the Lakers will be happy if Bronny improves on the defensive end, as they have stars like Luka Doncic and LeBron James who can handle the scoring.
