"Always taken pride on the defensive end" - Bronny James leans towards a defense-first approach for better offense
The LA Lakers held an introductory press conference on Tuesday for their two prized rookies – Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. One of the things the media asked Bronny was his defensive potential, which was compared by some people to Jrue Holiday.
Bronny discussed having a bigger body for his age and height as an advantage for him in playing great defense. He loves playing that side of the ball because it gives the offense much better looks.
"I mean other people see me as a big, kind of a bigger guard, so I feel like I could take that role into guarding someone bigger. I've always taken pride in the defensive end, especially because it translates to better offensive looks. I've been working on my defense end just because I'm not the biggest person," Bronny said.
While some people look at Bronny James as not ready for the NBA, the LA Lakers are happy with his progress. The Lakers love his potential on the defensive end, while also trying to improve his shooting. He showed his stroke at the draft combine, which impressed Rob Pelinka enough to draft him with the No. 55 pick.
"We did talk about that point of attack defense as something that we were drawn to and something that Bronny and I talked about at the Chicago Combine is also being rim attack on offense. I think he's shown the ability to space the floor, but we need downhill guards in our program that can put pressure on the paint. We hope in the Summer League, that's a skill that I know coach (JJ Redick) wants to develop in Bonny is attacking the rim. He's as athletic as any guard in this draft, so we'll develop him at both sides of the ball," Pelinka said.
Bronny James to sign guaranteed contract with the LA Lakers
Rich Paul denied the rumors that Bronny James will be signing a two-way contract with the LA Lakers. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed that the Lakers are going to sign Bronny to a multi-year guaranteed contract, which will confirm his status as part of the team's plans.
It's a huge deal for the Lakers and the 19-year-old guard since most second-round picks don't get guaranteed deals without proving themselves at the Summer League and in training camp. Most are usually signed to two-way contracts as well.
Some of the recent second-round draft picks to sign a guaranteed contract include Jalen Pickett of the Denver Nuggets and Chris Livingston of the Milwaukee Bucks. It also helped that Bronny's father is LeBron James and his agent is Rich Paul, who is one of the best out there.