Imago
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Imago
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For Bronny James, finding an identity seems secondary this season. The sophomore is slowly catching up with the Los Angeles Lakers’ style and pace. In the last four games, James Jr. has averaged 17.8 minutes. And they were enough to show his improved impact. However, had JJ Redick given the 21-year-old more time on the court, his progress would’ve been more visible to the world. At least, that’s what league legend James Worthy strongly believes in.
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“Bronny, he’s making progress. It’s not always noticeable because he’s not getting a minute, but he’s starting to understand his space on the floor. Really good defensive end. Deflections. Not afraid to knock down shots. I like his progress.”
The 65-year-old, 3-time NBA champion with the Lakers praised Bronny after his 21 minutes, 10 points, 3 assists, and a rebound night in LA’s 119-103 win against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday. Now, if we talk about James’ overall scorecard in the 2025-26 season, then it’s not that impressive. Because an average of 8.6 mpg, 2.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.2 apg across 40 games doesn’t sound very promising. Meanwhile, his average shooting split looks like: 39.6/35.3/85.7.
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But if you talk about Bronny James’ impact in his last 4 appearances, then you might notice a visible shift. As mentioned before, he has averaged 17.8 minutes per game. Meanwhile, the LA Lakers guard averaged 7.3ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers. That’s not all, he has a 44.4 FG% and 33.3 3PT%. Therefore, he’s quietly efficient in limited minutes with a decent scoring bump compared to his season average.
“Bronny, he’s making progress. It’s not always noticeable because he’s not getting a minutes but, he’s starting to understand his space on the floor. Really good defensive end. Deflections. Not afraid to knock down shots. I like his progress.”
James Worthy showing love to Bronny pic.twitter.com/V6iYzwXKpU
— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 🏆 (@PurpGoldLakers) April 10, 2026
At the same time, LeBron James’ message to the league last month suddenly feels like a prophecy. After the LA Lakers won 116-99 against the Brooklyn Nets, the 41-year-old spoke to the media, who had a series of questions to ask about his son. “It’s just getting back to where it was before the incident. He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He’s shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball,” James told the reporters.
He added, “So I just think the confidence and the rhythm and just getting his strength back and his wind and everything is just coming back. Like I said before the incident, so it’s not surprising to see him shooting the ball at a high clip.”
As you know, Bronny James‘ journey to the NBA wasn’t easy. The once-upon-a-time USC Trojan prodigy and potential top draft pick had to pause his game momentarily after sustaining a cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023. That changed everything for the young rising star. Therefore, his debut season looked guarded and almost hesitant.
But now Bronny James is catching up and progressing, but he needs more minutes to make them more visible, as James Worthy hinted. Meanwhile, the only father-son duo of the league added another piece of history to their names on Thursday at the Lakers-Warriors matchup. And yes, everyone is talking about it!
Bronny James assisted his father in the Lakers’ win
LeBron James returned against the Golden State Warriors after a one-game rest. He had Bronny James by his side and a team without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Well, in the game against the Dubs, the younger James played a pivotal role. With under a minute left in the first quarter, the 21-year-old picked off Charles Bassey and quickly pushed the ball ahead to LeBron, who finished it off with an easy dunk to make it 25-20.
And with that, both Bronny and LeBron James entered the NBA record books, recording the league’s first son-to-father assist. This follows just weeks after the James duo made history, recording the first-ever father-to-son assist in their March 27 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
So, as you can see, Bronny James’ second year in the NBA has been slightly more kind than his debut season. And that’s simply because he attempted to find his rhythm in the fast-paced Lakers culture. Yes, JJ Redick might have to start trusting the young gun more often moving ahead. But for now, Bronny James’ renewed control over his own game is making all the difference for LA.
