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JJ Redick Praises Bronny James's 'Unique' Defense After Highlight Play for Lakers

James blocked three shots in 16 minutes in his NBA preseason debut.

Tim Capurso

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Acrisure Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Acrisure Arena. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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Bronny James made his NBA preseason debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night and wasted no time impressing coach JJ Redick with his abilities on the defensive end of the floor.

James finished with two points, one rebound and an assist, blocking three shots in 16 minutes of the 124–107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But it was plays like the one James made early in the second quarter that caught Redick's attention.

James, attempting to pass the ball to Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell at the top of the key, turned it over to Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. But James, not giving up on the play, trailed Walker on the fast break and blocked his shot from behind.

While the Timberwolves did eventually score on a put-back, James's effort on the defensive end was not lost on Redick.

"He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique," Redick said. "And can ... I think turn into a really disruptive defender. And that manifested itself. On the offensive end, he's still kind of figuring out who he is. And that's our job as a player development program just to build him up."

"But I liked what I saw from Bronny. He's so easy to coach. And he's got a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I like being around him and I'm rooting for him.

"He's a good player that we're happy to have in our program."

Redick added that James had impressed the Lakers coaching staff during the first week of training camp, leading to the rookie playing the third-most minutes off the bench for Los Angeles on Friday night.

James, 19, was selected with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. James in July signed a four-year contract with the Lakers worth $7.9 million, with roughly $5.4 million in guaranteed money.

Bronny and LeBron James are poised to become the first father-son duo in NBA history this season.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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