Rookie Lakers guard Bronny James “is focused” on getting better, and his father, LeBron James, feels the sky is the limit as he improves.
James sent the warning shot to the rest of the NBA after his first game back from a groin strain on March 22. James’ Lakers lost to the Bulls, 146-115, but the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was rusty after missing his team’s previous seven games.
“Yeah, he’s grew up in it, so it’s nothing new to him,” James said of the scrutiny his son faces as an NBA pro. “I think you saw the article [with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon] that came out that he did, that he wanted to do and express his feelings about everything.”
“But the kid is focused, and he locks in on his craft,” James continued. “Like you said, he hears everything, and he uses that as motivation. And I mean, but he is here for a reason, and he showed that the other night.”
Bronny Growing in Confidence
As James alluded to, Bronny had a breakout game against the Bucks on March 20, becoming the first Lakers rookie guard to log 17 points and five assists at 70% shooting, per StatMamba.
When asked if Bronny had grown in confidence since entering the NBA, James took it a step further by speaking on his growth since his one-and-done college career at USC.
“I’ve seen he has gotten better from the moment he made his first game back after the [cardiac] incident with USC to the moment the other night when he stepped onto the floor,” LeBron said of Bronny.
“He has gotten better and better and better, and I think his confidence has gotten better with the work that he is putting in. He is starting to feel it once again before he had the incident. It was great to see him in his groove the other day.”
Bronny Blocking Out the Noise
The interview that LeBron James referenced appeared shortly before Bronny’s breakout game against the Bucks. In the interview, Bronny spoke extensively about having to hear “random people” speak incessantly about him for the sake of notoriety.
“My first thought about everything [criticism] is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day,” Bronny said. “But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—— robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.
“But I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, get better every day,” Bronny continued. “That’s what Rob wants me to do as a young guy, coming in, playing in the G League and learning from far on the bench watching the Lakers play.”
Through 23 games as a rookie, Bronny averaged 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists for the Lakers. The guard enjoyed significantly more success in the G League, the NBA’s developmental system, posting 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
By all accounts, those numbers are pretty solid for a player drafted No. 55 overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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