Bronny James is focusing on disruptive defense in the Lakers' preseason

PALM DESERT, Calif. – Bronny James showed up to his press conference on Sunday night in a reserved manner.

Maybe a little disappointed.

Or frustrated.

That would be a reason for Los Angeles Lakers fans to be happy about the son of LeBron James after the famous NBA rookie missed his only shot, had four turnovers in 13 minutes and made… remarkable history.

Bronny and LeBron became the first father and son in NBA history to play in the same game. They walked onto the court together at the start of the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena. After the game, LeBron called it “a moment I will never forget.”

But Bronny knew it was the wrong time to celebrate, even on his 20th birthday. At least not in public.

During a four-minute game with his father, Bronny had three turnovers, a foul and missed his only shot. In the Lakers' season opener on Friday, Bronny shot 1-for-6 from the floor but also had a game-high three blocks.

“He’s tough,” Lakers star Anthony Davis said. “Obviously he’s defensive-minded. Some great blocks. And the physicality he gets over screens. He is good with his hands on deflections and steals. But he is still learning. He’s still trying to figure it all out.”

What he has apparently figured out, he still has to prove that he belongs in the NBA.

During Bronny's press conference with the media on Sunday, a reporter told him that the media had just heard from LeBron about how much the moment meant to him that Bronny got to this point. And what was Bronny's perspective?

In an almost monotone voice, Bronny said Lakers coach JJ Redick informed him before the game that he would be playing with LeBron.

“I was pretty excited about it,” he said, sounding anything but excited.

Was he able to reflect on the historic moment before or after the game?

“No,” Bronny replied. “I’m just getting ready for another game and trying to do my best.”

He seemed much more interested in being in the game as the Lakers and Suns struggled in the final minutes.

“Yeah, I just get those reps every game and try to find my role,” he said. “That’s my main focus every time I step on the court.”

Or what Redick wants him to do.

“JJ really emphasized being a liability on defense, so I tried to focus on that when I got on the floor.”

And so on throughout the entire 94 feet of the field and “blown up” screens.

“JJ told me to be as disruptive as possible, forcing me to disrupt the ball and lift it 94 feet, disrupt the ball screen, things like that,” he said. “So yeah, I just try to focus on what I do best and my role is the best and yeah, it was pretty good.”

Pretty good. Not great. There is a lot to do.

The celebrations for Bronny James can wait.

Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download for award-winning reporting, crosswords, audio storytelling, the e-newspaper and more.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply