LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have had dealt with multiple injuries to begin the 2025-26 season, especially in the backcourt. The Lakers’ injuries have opened up playing time for Bronny James, who is in the second season of his NBA career. James has been called upon by Lakers head coach JJ Redick in recent games to provide backup guard minutes, and he had his most impactful game of the this stretch during the team’s 130-120 win against the Miami Heat on Sunday.
Bronny James’ impact against the Heat was not measured by his box score, instead it came from his defensive play putting on-ball pressure against Davion Mitchell, especially in the fourth quarter as the Lakers were holding off a late Miami rally. Following the game, JJ Redick said he believes James can certainly build off his recent performances moving forward.
“I thought he was really good on the ball [defensively], and I’ve seen that twice now over the last week or so, I think it was the second half of the Portland game. He was really just a force in terms of containment and physicality,” Redick said. “And the he made arguably the play of the game.”
“Luka was double-teamed, he was the next guy. He drove the closeout, got in the paint, read the paint swarm and ended up getting his teammate an open three,” Redick continued. “So just a really good building block for him tonight to play in a very meaningful game in the fourth quarter and have a lot of good plays.”
One of those plays also came on the offensive end when James cut through the lane to grab a lob pass from Austin Reaves and finish with a slam dunk, much to the delight of the Lakers’ home crowd. It was his only bucket of the game, but it came at a time when the Lakers were taking early control of the game and building a double-digit lead. James would also add two assists and three steals in 18 minutes.
The No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, James spent most of last season playing in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. While he got off to a slow start to his career, by midseason he looked much more comfortable on a professional court.
He appeared in 18 games with South Bay at a little over 31 minutes per game. He averaged 18.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals with splits of 41.9 percent shooting from the field, 33.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Gabe Vincent remains out for the Lakers for the time being due to an ankle injury, and it appears as if James has earned Redick’s trust in the meantime as the primary guard off the bench.
