Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick challenged Bronny James to get into “elite shape” in his second season as an NBA pro, a task that the son of LeBron James has seemingly accepted wholeheartedly.
“The biggest thing for Bronny is that he has to get in elite shape,” Redick told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “That’s the barrier of entry for him right now. And if he does that, I think he’s got a chance to be a really fantastic player in the NBA.”
During the Las Vegas Summer League, Bronny averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals in just 24.3 minutes, while maintaining excellent shooting splits of 48/35/79. Besides showing tremendous growth on both sides of the floor, Bronny displayed improved ball-handling and playmaking skills while also guarding the opponent’s best player on a nightly basis.
Bronny Transformed His Body
After the Summer League, Bronny confirmed to Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell that transforming his body was his top priority in the 2025 offseason.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said of adding “significant muscle” entering his second season.
“Definitely using my body more (than in high school, at USC and) when I was first drafted,” he added. “I wasn’t using my body as well, but the physicality in the NBA is at a way higher level, so I had to get my body right.”
Lakers’ Summer League coach, Lindsey Harding, explained the small adjustments Bronny made it to his game that helped him in his second year as a pro.
“[He’s] handling the ball much more than he has in the past and making those decisions and reads for us, he’s taken that role on as a leader, that was also part of his growth,” she said of Bronny James.
“And then on the defensive end, where he had those moments where he can really pressure (the ball), pick up full court, be disruptive. That’s something where he can really have an immediate impact for our team this season.”
When Redick Called Out Bronny
Both Redick and Bronny were debutants in the 2024-25 season. During their respective learning experiences, both had their ups and downs. While Redick was patient primarily with Bronny — giving the USC alum a longer leash — he snapped at the rookie during the team’s season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 13.
During that game, Bronny had two points and two turnovers in the first half in his first start as an NBA pro. At the halftime break, Redick gave him a dressing down for not showing enough aggressiveness as a scorer or a playmaker.
“It was the only time I really got on him all year,” Redick told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin of calling out Bronny at halftime of the game.
“The thing I said to him was: My belief in you as a player can’t be higher than your belief in you. And the standard you hold yourself has to be higher than the standard I’m going to hold you to.”
Redick has repeatedly stressed that he expects Bronny to eventually turn into an elite on-ball defender, in the vein of a Derrick White, Jrue Holiday or Davion Mitchell.
How Bronny James Responded to JJ Redick’s Lakers Challenge