One of the biggest storylines coming out of the 2024 NBA Draft was not the first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Rather, it was Lakers second-round draft pick Bronny James. The oldest son of NBA veteran LeBron James. Bronny played one season at USC and was drafted with the 55th overall pick by LA.
At this stage in his career, there’s a lot that James needs to work on to become a player who sees real-time in the NBA. The Lakers were aware of that when they drafted him. In an interview with SiriusXM NBA, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about the team’s development plan for Bronny. He referenced Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort as a player he believes Bronny James can become someday.
Bronny James is going to be someone the Lakers need to develop into a role player
JJ Redick thinks Bronny James will eventually become a player similar to Lu Dort
(🎥 @SiriusXMNBA ) pic.twitter.com/IP9rT1Aen7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2024
During his one season at USC, Bronny James was rather unproven. The 19-year-old landed in an ideal situation with the Lakers as his dad is their best player. For Bronny to get on the court, he’s going to need to polish off his skills. In the California classic and summer league games, James has struggled to shoot the ball. That’s just one area he needs to work on. One aspect of Bronny’s game that head coach JJ Redick is a fan of is his defensive instincts.
When speaking with SiriusXM NBA, JJ Redick referenced the Thunder’s Lu Dort as a player who he believes Bronny James could become. Dort went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019 and has played five seasons with the Thunder. He’s been a starter for the last four seasons and is one of their key role players. Dort is not known for lighting it up offensively. The 25-year-old is a defensive specialist. He’s one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA and he takes pride in that. Last season, Dort averaged (10.9) points, (3.6) rebounds, and (1.4) assists per game. He played and started in 79 of OKC’s 82 games in 2023-24.
Bronny James for three🔥 pic.twitter.com/vPcda8eLbz
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) July 16, 2024
Lu Dort worked his way to becoming a full-time starter and Bronny James will have to do the same. Just because he’s the son of LeBron James doesn’t mean he’s going to see playing time right away. JJ Redick mentioned that Bronny will likely have to spend time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. We’ll have to wait and see what the Lakers have in store for Bronny James during his rookie season.
