Bronny James no longer needs LeBron on the Lakers: JJ Redick makes future clear with strong message

B ronny James is entering the most important season of his young NBA career under very different circumstances than the ones that defined his first two years with his father LeBron no longer at the Los Angeles Lakers . The Lakers has added more experienced perimeter players to replace the legendary basketballer after he chose to move to the Philadelphia 76ers for the final chapter of his career.

An outside analyst has even suggested Bronny may have roughly two seasons to prove he belongs in the rotation before the franchise considers moving on but JJ Redick ’s message, though, has been far less dramatic. “That guy’s good,” Redick said on ESPN LA 710 AM. “He’s a good basketball player. We’re excited to have him, and we’re excited to coach him this year.” It was a short answer, but it carried weight because Redick has spent the past two seasons outlining a very specific path for Bronny and his route to minutes is becoming clearer

The Lakers have never needed Bronny to become a big scorer

A former player himself, Redick has repeatedly emphasized defense, ball pressure, energy and quick decisions as the traits that can get the 21-year-old Bronny action on the floor. He previously pointed to guards such as T.J. McConnell and Davion Mitchell as examples of players who impact games without dominating possessions and that blueprint matters even more now. Bronny played 42 games last season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in 8.9 minutes per game. His shooting improved significantly, including 38.6% from 3-point range with the Lakers and 45.6% in 14 G League appearances. Those are encouraging signs, but the roster is deeper as Los Angeles added Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Matisse Thybulle while retaining Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves . That creates a much more crowded backcourt and wing rotation and Redick says the Lakers will use more players in a bid to manage squad minutes, with that factor working in Bronny ’s favor. That gives the Lakers more freedom to use specialists rather than asking every reserve to fill the same role so his best chance is obvious - become a disruptive, high-energy guard who can change the tempo defensively and avoid mistakes offensively. The bigger challenge is simply making himself indispensable but there is also a roster issue to resolve as LA currently have 16 players on standard contracts and must get down to 15 before the season begins. General manager Rob Pelinka said the next few weeks will help settle that, meaning Bronny ’s future is still at a degree of risk heading into the 2026/27 NBA season. The suggested two-year window around Bronny came from outside the organization, not from the Lakers themselves, even if Redick ’s comments tell a different story of a player worth the time of the coaching staff. Now he has to turn that belief into something tangible enough to survive a deeper roster and earn real minutes and finally step out from the shadow of his four-time MVP father.