Bronny James’ 2025 Development Is Going to Be Important for the Lakers

Bronny James is one of those stories that is polarizing for people because you can be inspired by what he was going through as a young human with his cardiac arrest while he was at USC, or people can be cynical and be haters because of his Hall of Fame dad, Lebron James. Bronny is treating his first offseason as a professional in the right way so far in the 2025 offseason as he tries to crack the Lakers rotation. Here’s the approach that Bronny James and Lakers coach JJ Redick are taking this offseason. 

JJ Redick’s Stance on Bronny James’ Potential Impact

Redick talked about the importance of being in shape is the key to having the impact that you want to have on the court. “The biggest thing for Bronny is that he has to get in elite shape,” Redick would tell ESPN. “That’s the barrier of entry for him right now. And if he does that, I think he’s got a chance to be a fantastic player in the NBA.” J.J. has a major point about the conditioning aspects of the game of basketball. 

I mean, have you seen LUKA DONCIC lately? I mean, that man is looking like the Winter Soldier now after his Summer! If Bronny is in that type of shape for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, the Lakers’ ceiling has the chance to BLOW THROUGH THE ROOF! 

Redick also pointed to Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell and Pacers guard and Redick’s former teammate in Philly, T.J. McConnell, as examples of the type of game changers James has the potential to become if his development is right. 

“On every single possession, they’re in the game — whether that’s offensively or defensively — they’re able to impact it with how hard they play,” Redick said. “With the defensive pickup points, the disruption, being able to get downhill … I think we have all seen these amazing flashes of it from Bronny. And to get to that next level for him, it’s cardio fitness.

Bronny James’ Summer League Numbers 

James had a productive Summer League for the LakeShow as he had a three-game stretch where he averaged 16.3 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 2.6 rpg including a 17,5,5 with three pointers game against the Clippers. For the 4 games overall that the Lakers played in the Summer League, James averaged 14.3 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. 

If this Summer League performance from the young Bronny James is a testament of how he is going to be on the court at all times for the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming season, this is going to be a positive outlook on the Lakers’ depth that a lot of us didn’t account for heading into the 2025 season like how we didn’t expect the Thunderbolts to be one of the better films of the year Superhero wise with the track record that the MCU has been on lately. 

Closing Thoughts

Bronny James is going to be one of those players that is going to be one of the important pieces for this Lakers core around Luka Doncic and his father, Lebron James, this 2025 season. If Bronny is having the same mindset as his dad and he makes the improvements needed, the Lakers will be one of the top teams in the West.

J.J. Redick is going to have to continue to make strides as a coach to develop the younger talent, including Bronny James, to keep up with the veterans if they want to achieve their goals. For more NBA coverage, tune into Total Apex Sports over the rest of the offseason and once the regular season starts in October.