Bronny James Reveals Lakers' Mindset in Final Stretch of 2025-26 NBA Season

Feb 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) looks for an open teammate in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 NBA season has been somewhat up-and-down for the Los Angeles Lakers, as the team has dealt with several injuries to key players. Despite those injuries and many different lineups, the Lakers have remained competitive as a middle-of-the-pack team in the Western Conference.

Although there's a lot of uncertainty about the team's future, especially with drastic changes to the front office expected in the NBA offseason, the Lakers remain in the hunt to secure a high seed in the West ahead of the NBA playoffs.

Bronny James Claims Lakers Believe They Can Be 'Contenders'

Jan 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward LeBron James (23) stand on the court in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

After a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, where all five usual starters sat out with injuries, second-year guard Bronny James spoke to the media. He expressed confidence that the squad could be legitimate title contenders this season.

"Our team believes that we can be contenders and make a deep playoff run," James said. "We all believe that. It's just gonna come down to playing hard and playing smart and winning games."

The Lakers currently sit at 32-21, which has Los Angeles in fifth place in the West behind the Denver Nuggets (34-20), Houston Rockets (33-19), Spurs (37-16) and Oklahoma City Thunder (41-13).

There's not a lot of room for error for the Lakers heading into the final 29 games of the regular season, but if they can get as close to 100 percent healthy as possible, with Luka Doncic back to form after dealing with a hamstring injury, Los Angeles might be able to make some noise in the West.

Bronny Making Strides in Second Season

Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) moves the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As for James, the USC product appears to be gaining confidence as he continues to get comfortable at the NBA level in Los Angeles, whether it's in the G League with the South Bay Lakers or when called up to the parent club.

“I feel different, I feel way more comfortable," James said after Tuesday's game. "My team, my teammates believe in me. My coaches believe in me, that’s all I’ve wanted so it’s just good to get out there and take advantage of it.”

James had the tall task, no pun intended, of guarding Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, which he admits was quite a "challenge." 

“It’s something else for sure," James said of guarding Wembanyama. "I'm one of the smaller guys on the floor guarding the tallest guy in the league. So, it's definitely a challenge, but I'm up for anything.”

James' stats are similar to his rookie season, with some areas of improvement, as he is shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from distance while seeing a slight boost in minutes per game at 7.5. He's already played one more game on the NBA level than he did last year and could see more time if head coach JJ Redick continues to feel confident in the 21-year-old's ability.