In a video clip that went viral on Monday night, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown appears to say that he doesn’t think Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is a pro. Brown was seated courtside at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the Celtics’ summer league game against the Lakers with his girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese.
Hours later, Brown addressed the clip on social media, writing that he looks forward to watching James’ growth:
James, the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, had two points on 1-for-5 shooting, three rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 25 minutes in the Lakers’ 88-74 loss against Boston on Monday. In four summer league games — half in Vegas, half in the California Classic in Sacramento — James has shot 0 for 15 from 3-point range. He doesn’t turn 20 years old until October, though, and was drafted as a defense-first development project.
In an interview on Siriux XM NBA Radio last week, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that James will eventually be an elite point-of-attack defender like Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort.
“He’s a development player. That’s how we’re looking at Bronny. He’s certainly going to spend time with the Lakers. He will spend time as well in the G League,” Redick said. “As we sort of build out our player development program, he’s going to be an important part of that. And what I’ve communicated to him, right now, what we’re looking for is defensive ball pressure. I told him this yesterday. I said, ‘I don’t care if you have 10 fouls, I don’t care if you get blown by. What I do care about is if you’re on the ball and you’re three feet off the ball. You have to be a guy that’s a ball hawk at all times.’
“We’re going to develop his shot. We’ll develop his ball skills,” Redick continued. “He’s already got a great feel. He has a really instinctive nature on the defensive end.”
