Bronny James laughed at the remark, because he discovered it humorous to have a reporter inform him he’s tied for the third-longest tenure with the Lakers.
He is coming into his third season, tied with Dalton Knecht and proper behind Austin Reaves (coming into his sixth season) and Jarred Vanderbilt (going on four-plus).
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James is a veteran now and is wanting to discover his function with the Lakers.
“Crazy, right? AR keeps calling me a vet,” James said, chuckling. “I’m like, ‘I guess.'”
James is a naturally reserved individual. But as a level guard, he admits his job is to converse up more, to help arrange the offense, to make sure some of his 9 new teammates perceive what Lakers coach JJ Redick expects.
For his first two years with the Lakers, James did not say much because his dad, LeBron James, was the chief and highly effective voice on the staff.
Read more: Lakers’ early defensive prowess impresses Austin Reaves, JJ Redick
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As a 21-year-old, Bronny James leads in his own manner, just as Redick desires all his gamers to do.
“Definitely coming in every day trying to get better and better myself as a point guard,” James said. “Just taking those steps, encouraging my guys, getting them in the right spots and stuff like that. Making sure we’re organized.
“For sure, that’s what a level guard is. You’ve got to be speaking to your guys, got to be serving to people get to where they need to be. I take pleasure in that, for sure. If anyone goes out — God forbid anyone goes out — I’ve got to be the man to step up and be the major ballhandler, and get my guys in the proper spots. So, yeah, I’ve undoubtedly got to lock in on that.”
James performed in 42 regular-season video games last season, averaging 2.9 factors and taking pictures 40.9% from the subject.
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Though he did not put up large numbers in the playoffs, James was strong in his function, particularly on protection. He performed in eight postseason video games, averaging 1.5 factors and taking pictures 50% from the subject.
This present Lakers staff has depth and expertise all through the lineup.
Read more: Lakers choose Derrin Horton to be new public-address announcer
James knows it’s going to take a lot of work to discover a function on the staff.
“Continuing to come in the fitness center and keep after apply, just working, competing, enjoying, just making an attempt to make my mark,” James said. “I think just building on defensive intuition, how I was in the playoffs, selecting up full court. They’ve been emphasizing that so I’ve been one of the guys that is selecting up full court every possession, every time we get a bucket, just selecting up full court.
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“And then just being a primary ballhandler for my team. We’re playing against Luka [Doncic] and AR today, so me, Q[uentin Grimes], or J[aden] Hardy, guys were on the team, being primary ballhandlers, giving us confidence.”
Being a top-notched defender is what James strives to be for the Lakers.
Every day during these coaching camp periods, James gets examined when he has to defend Doncic and Reaves, two of the NBA’s most dynamic guards.
But that can only help James.
“For sure, it’s going to make me better on the defensive end just picking them up full court,” James said. “I’m annoyed by them, they get annoyed with me in practice. Just continuing to do that will make me better for sure.”
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James has labored on his soar shot. He appears to be like more outlined, a signal that he has labored on his physique as effectively.
“Just continuing to come in and work on it. The jumper, I’ve been in the gym all summer working on fluidity and the speed of my release, stuff like that, moving,” James said. “Tied into that, just running a lot. I’m the same weight, 215 or 220-ish, but still slim so I can move fast. Just getting in the gym every day and continuing to keep a routine.”
The Lakers have had 4 days of apply, all of them intense, all of them full of power.
They will play their first preseason video games Monday at Sacramento and then Tuesday at Golden State.
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That will give James and the relaxation of his teammates a probability to carve out roles.
“I definitely think it’s still a process. It’s definitely going to take a few games to get everyone situated,” James said. “We’re trying to figure out our own roles and those things, but also just trying to experiment with lineups. I’ve been here for a minute now, so I know kind of what my role is, but definitely for the new guys.”
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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