Second-year Los Angeles Lakers point guard Bronny James, the eldest son of 21-time All-NBA Lakers combo forward LeBron James, has made a surprise admission about his underwhelming 2024-25 rookie season.
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Drafted with the No. 55 pick after one health-abbreviated NCAA year with the USC Trojans, the 6-foot-2 Bronny never cracked head coach JJ Redick's rotation last year.
James appeared in just 27 regular season contests for the Lakers, playing either mop-up minutes or occasional, injury-mandated rotation run. He averaged 2.3 points on.313/.281/.786 shooting splits, 0.8 assists and 0.7 rebounds across 6.7 minutes per.
Across 11 regular season bouts in 2024-25 for the Lakers' G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, Bronny averaged 21.9 points while slashing.443/.380/.815, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per.
Now, the 21-year-old has conceded that he's in far better shape this season than he had been during his first pro year. Bronny told The Orange County Register's Khobi Price recently that he has been "going out, giving all effort. Literally going out until I'm dead tired." He opined that his conditioning is "way better" in Year 2.
This year, injuries have been the reason Bronny has suited up for Los Angeles. Through 12.7 minutes per, he's been averaging 2.6 points on.350/.333/1.000 shooting splits, 1.9 dimes, 1.0 boards and 0.9 swipes in seven games.
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