My impression of Bronny James is that he is very self-aware. From his press conferences to his demeanor on the court, he understands his situation and the opportunities he has gotten, and he is putting in the work to try and make the most of them.
That comes across in a must-read, lengthy interview with The Athletic’s Joe Varden, where Bronny talks about everything with his rookie season. That includes the face-to-face confrontation between his father, LeBron James, and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith after Smith said on air, "I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: Stop this." Bronny, taking a page from his father's book, is using this as fuel.
"My first thought about everything 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."
Nepotism may be frowned upon, but it is as American as apple pie and has long run through the highest levels of power and money in society. Bronny has in the past been open about the chance he was handed — being drafted No. 55 by the Lakers and then given a multi-year NBA contract — but has also said what matters is what he does with that opportunity.
This season, Bronny has gotten better. Lakers coach J.J. Redick discussed Bronny's improved playmaking, while GM Rob Pelinka praised his work ethic. Bronny's defense has always been his strength, it was at the other end of the court where his confidence and skills needed to grow.
"I definitely think I've improved, not only as a player, but just having a different mindset as a player to go out and play my game and play the game that I know how to play," Bronny said. "I feel really good about it — I see the progress."
There has been progress, but there is still a ways to go, especially with his shot, if Bronny is going to eventually crack the Lakers rotation (something that was never expected this season and likely not next season, he was always a project). That was evident recently when he played 16 minutes recently against Denver (in a game where LeBron and Luka Doncic were out). There were positives like a clutch 3-pointer plus a steal, and he got to the foul line at one point, but he also was 1-of-5 shooting on the night. With the South Bay Lakers of the G-League, Bronny is averaging 17.4 points a game, but is shooting just 31% on 3-pointers.
There is a segment of fans who want to pile on Bronny, and while those fans want to hold him up as an example of a larger societal issue, at the core he's just a kid trying to take advantage of his chance. This was never a bad bet by the Lakers, they took him with the No. 55 pick — a spot deep in the draft where actual NBA rotation players are rarely found — and they have him on a cheap contract. Every team has (or should have) multiple developmental projects going on, and Bronny is one of the Lakers' projects.
Whether it works out or not remains to be seen, but give Bronny credit, he is putting in the work.
