What Los Angeles Lakers' JJ Redick Said About Bronny James' Rookie NBA Season

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick praised former USC Trojans guard and current Los Angeles rookie Bronny James for his improvement throughout his rookie season. As the Lakers improve inthe Western Conference standings, can James carve out a bigger role?

Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Bronny James (9) look on during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick praised former USC Trojans guard Bronny James for the improvement he's shown throughout his rookie season.

"I think he's had a really productive rookie season. He's gotten a lot better. We can see that. I think the first time you go through that as a rookie, sometimes you have to through it for three or four years as well, it's different to not play every night. And particularly for a second-round pick, it's very common for them to sort of go back and forth between the NBA roster and the G League and go on assignment," said Redick

Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Earlier in the week, on a night when Bronny's dad, Lebron James, reached 50,000 career points in the NBA, the former Trojan got on the stat sheet with two points of his own. It was Bronny's first game since Feb. 12, evidence of the inconsistent playing time that Redick mentioned.

On Thursday night, Los Angeles beat the New York Knicks 113-109 in overtime. Nine Lakers saw the floor, and Bronny was not one of them. The newest star for Los Angeles, Luka Dončić, led the Lakers with 32 points.

Still, the former Trojan has played in 18 games for the Lakers this season, scoring in his last five consecutive appearances. James played one season with the USC Trojans before being drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the NBA Draft.

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He is averaging 13 points in G League seven games with the South Bay Lakers. At USC, James started six out of the 25 games he played in, but his time with the Trojans was cut short after suffering a cardiac arrest during an offseason workout with the team. Now, he has continued his development with one of the most storied franchises in the NBA.

With a 40-21 overall record, the Lakers hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles is currently riding a seven-game win streak, winning won x out of their last 20 games. Since acquiring Dončić in a trade that sent forward Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers are 12-2.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently talked about Redick as a serious contender to win the NBA Coach of the Year award.

Feb 22, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick looks on from the sideline during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

"What do you say about JJ Redick? Good Lord, have mercy. You've got to give our former colleague some love, he's a coach of the year candidate. . . . (The Lakers) are the number-one defense over the last seven weeks," said Smith.

Redick has the third-best betting odds to win NBA Coach of the Year in 2025 at +3000, according to BetMGM. As of Feb. 27, Redick had the sixth-best chance to win the award per BetMGM with odds of +10000

Now, the Lakers coach is behind two coaches in the BetMGM's updated odds to win Coach of the Year: the favorite, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Danny Atkinson (-1000) and Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff (+700).

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
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