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JJ Redick Didn't Hesitate When Grading Bronny James' Rookie Season with the Lakers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 10:41 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers capped off their regular season with a sluggish loss on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers in a matchup where they rested nearly every key rotational player.

Los Angeles had already clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference on Friday night, which made head coach JJ Redick’s decision to rest his starters on Sunday an easy one.

Nonetheless, the game marked rookie Bronny James’ first career NBA start. While he struggled shooting from the field—scoring just four points on 2-for-10 shooting—he contributed six assists, three rebounds, and an impressive four steals.

His rookie season was full of highs and lows. Though he spent most of his time in the G League after being selected 55th overall out of USC, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals with the South Bay Lakers.

Through it all, Redick was asked following Sunday’s game how he would grade James Jr.’s rookie season—and he didn’t hesitate to give a clear answer.

"I give him an A+,' Redick said. "He doesn’t allow the bad attention to get to him and just continues to work… I’m very high on him long-term being a part of our rotation.”

“I give him an A+. He doesn’t allow the bad attention to get to him and just continues to work… I’m very high on him long-term being a part of our rotation.”

- JJ Redick on Bronny pic.twitter.com/rTwEfU7ezi
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 14, 2025

James didn’t see significant action at the pro level this season, outside of a few stints when starters were out or during the closing minutes of games. However, as the season progressed, so did he—a promising sign for his development as he continues to grow.

Across 27 games with the Lakers, James averaged just 6.7 minutes per game and primarily played off the ball. He posted averages of 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds.

His best performance of the season came on March 20 against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he played 30 minutes and scored 17 points off the bench and added five assists and three rebounds.

Redick has maintained the same stance on James since the day he was drafted, and he reiterated it again on March 21:

“The way LeBron and Savannah have raised him was obvious to me from the moment I started spending time with him on the court this summer... He was certainly going to be an NBA player and I still believe that he’ll be an NBA player.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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