This campaign is set to be a historic one in Los Angeles, as LeBron James and Bronny James will become the first father-son duo to ever share the court together in NBA history. First-time coach JJ Redick has admitted to already started thinking about how he will involve both players as he prepares for the upcoming game plans.
He revealed this his joint news conference with vice president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka. “We obviously have talked about it as a staff and we’ve gotten into some specifics of what that might look like,” he said this Wednesday.
“But we haven’t committed to anything,” JJ assured the press. “And obviously, there’s a discussion to be had once we’re all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well.”
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‘I’m Excited to Just Be Present for Him’
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While LeBron is entering his 22nd campaign at age 39, 19-year-old Bronny will begin his rookie year as the purple and gold franchise drafted him in the second round with the 55th overall pick, after a short career in college basketball.
Even though the season doesn’t start until October 22, when the L.A. squad hosts Minnesota, the team’s general manager assures that he’s already witnessed some of Bronny’s talents in person during a pickup match this week. “He got switched onto LeBron, and LeBron took him baseline, up and under off the glass,” Pelinka shared. “The words exchanged afterward were probably more challenging than anything else.”
Redick, on the other hand, will be entering his first-ever competition leading a squad from the sidelines, after a successful NBA career and then broadcasting stint. The rookie coach didn’t sound fazed when asked about the additional pressure that the James’ bloodline brings to the table. “I don’t look at it as a challenge.
“It’s unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship. Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he’s young and he’s hungry, and he’s got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player. On top of that, he’s a fantastic kid. He’s extremely coachable. He’s got the right spirit and energy every single day. So … it’s not something I’ve really thought of as a challenge,” JJ explained.
The Lakers management expect most of their injured players to recover during this upcoming month ahead of the start of the season
Even though players like Game Vincent and sophomore Jalen Hood-Schifino have taken advantage of the summer to recover fully and report to next week’s training camp, there are still some injuries affecting the roster. Vice president Pelinka is still waiting on Jarred Vanderbilt.
Rob reminded the press that the athlete recently underwent procedures on his feet, as he had an injury on his right foot, plus a clean up on the bone spur on his left heel. “We have a lot of optimism that when the real games start, he’ll be available,” he said of Vanderbilt.
“Between now and then, there is still about a month, and there are a lot of ramp up steps that need to go well, so hopefully there won’t be setbacks,” the general manager expressed when talking about the team’s injuries.
Another player who isn’t expected to return as quickly as Jarred is Christian Wood, who continues to be sidelined after suffering a scope on his left knee at the start of the month. For now, Pelinka advises coach Redick to concentrate on who is available. “I think the philosophy that JJ and I are aligned on is we want to build sustainable Lakers excellence,” Rob concluded.
