The Lakers are already considering how they will handle LeBron James and Bronny James taking the court together for the first time as a father-son duo. Speaking to media members on Wednesday, new Lakers coach JJ Redick said that while concrete plans haven’t been made, he intends to include both players in the process.
“We obviously have talked about it as a staff and we’ve gotten into some specifics of what that might look like,” Redick said. “But we haven’t committed to anything. And obviously, there’s a discussion to be had once we’re all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well.”
The Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, officially setting the stage for LeBron and his son to become the first father-son duo to play on the same team together. There will be tons of fanfare surrounding Bronny’s first game, and when he officially takes the court alongside LeBron, it will be a historic moment.
But when that happens, it remains to be seen. The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 22 against the Timberwolves at home, but Bronny doesn’t figure to be a major part of L.A.’s rotation, at least not out of the gate, so it would be difficult to see him get anything more than a ceremonial moment in that opening night game. The Lakers follow that opening-night matchup with games against the Suns and Kings at home to finish out the first week — both are important matchups in the grand scheme of things. If Bronny gets playing time then, it may be during garbage time, unless he really takes great strides during training camp to warrant anything more than that.
Despite the significant buzz it’s going to cause all season long, Redick isn’t concerned about the prospect of managing LeBron and Bronny, while also ensuring that the Lakers are focusing on the bigger picture.
“I don’t look at it as a challenge,” Redick said. “It’s unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship. Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he’s young and he’s hungry, and he’s got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player. On top of that, he’s a fantastic kid. He’s extremely coachable. He’s got the right spirit and energy every single day. So … it’s not something I’ve really thought of as a challenge.”
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