The Los Angeles Lakers are 11-2, and while they have the best record in the NBA, not everyone on the team is exempt from criticism, as head coach JJ Redick called out a group of players, one of whom was Bronny James, after an ‘unacceptable’ showing in the team’s latest win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
James played just four minutes in the Lakers’ Wednesday night victory over the Bucks, but finished as a -13 when on the floor, as his third-string teammates put up similar plus/minus numbers in their limited action.
With recent injuries to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Collin Sexton, the Lakers might need someone like James to step up over the next few games, but after Redick’s latest comments, it doesn’t look like the coach has confidence in his end-of-the-bench players.
Lakers Players Called Out With ‘Unacceptable’ JJ Redick Comments
Speaking to reporters after a recent practice, Redick was blunt about the third-stringers over Los Angeles’ past few games.
“JJ Redick said that it’s “unacceptable” that the Lakers’ third string hasn’t been able to run the offense effectively in fourth quarters. Redick also said the coaching staff can be better with continuing to emphasize their offensive principles and keeping them organized,” team reporter Jovan Buha wrote in a post on X.
James is obviously one of those players, but while his -13 rating in four minutes against the Bucks wasn’t great, some of his teammates didn’t have strong numbers either. The Lakers were beating Milwaukee by a significant margin before Doncic, Reaves, and Sexton all went out, and in the fourth quarter, along with James, Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Kevon Looney, and Jaden Hardy all finished with either -12 or -13 ratings to finish the game.
To put that into perspective, and to make sense of Redick’s comments, every other player on the Lakers had a positive plus/minus outside of those five.
Los Angeles ended up winning the game by 11 points, but it wasn’t a big enough margin to save the reserve players, including James, from the sharp criticism from the head coach.
The Lakers are still 11-2, but with depth more important than ever as the team is dealing with several different injuries, the spotlight is only growing on the Purple and Gold’s third-string players.
Bronny James Gets Harsh Reality Check
As for James in particular, he hasn’t had a great start to the season, and his performance against the Bucks was yet another showcase of that. While he was a -13 on the court on Wednesday, he’s now a -40 in his less than 17 total minutes played this year, a statistic first shared by Buha on his show.
“Bronny is a minus-40 in 16 minutes and 35 seconds this season,” Buha said. “Think about that. That’s not even a quarter and a half of basketball. The Lakers have been outscored by 40 in his 16 and a half minutes.”
After his disappointing outing in Milwaukee, many, including Lakers writer Tyler Watts, believe the verdict is finally in on James.
“The Lakers want Bronny to be a point guard, but he keeps failing every audition. James even struggled to run the offense in the G League opener. The 22-year-old is fighting for his place on the roster, and Wednesday’s win over the Bucks didn’t do Bronny any favors,” he wrote.
“James finished with four points and two personal fouls in garbage time in Milwaukee. He missed his only field goal attempt and scored all four points at the charity stripe. The Lakers were outscored by 13 points with him on the floor, which continued a season-long trend.”
With Doncic, Reaves, and Sexton all sidelined with injuries, James had a perfect chance to prove himself to Redick as a rotational player. However, based on his performance and how the numbers reflect, he failed to do so.
“The Lakers have an 81.1 offensive rating with James on the floor. Their net rating is negative 85.6, which seems impossible. LA plays no defense and just fires up shots. It is a recipe for disaster, even with a massive lead already in hand,” Watts added.
“If James can’t help them win, it is time to move on. Doncic and Reaves are in their primes, and every roster spot matters. James must improve, or it is time to let him go.”
James is still on the chopping block more than ever before, and Redick’s latest ‘unacceptable’ comments prove that. If the pressure wasn’t on him earlier in the season, it’s even greater now, as LeBron James‘ son will have to prove a lot if he gets another chance on the court for the Lakers in the foreseeable future.
Lakers Bronny James Called Out With ‘Unacceptable’ JJ Redick Criticism