"One of the better players out on the floor" - Lakers' $53,827,872 star refuses to criticize Bronny James despite disastrous preseason display

Bronny James is not having a good start to the NBA preseason, with a couple of underwhelming performances for the LA Lakers. However, Austin Reaves had some encouraging words for Bronny by calling him one of the better players whenever he's on the court.

Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's practice, Reaves was asked about Bronny's demeanor after his first two preseason games. The eldest son of LeBron James is looking to crack JJ Redick's rotation for the upcoming season, but his recent outings haven't been fruitful.

Nevertheless, the Lakers' $53.8 million guard expressed his full support for Bronny. Reaves also shared that he went golfing with his 21-year-old teammate, who was in good spirits, as per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"We went golfing the other day," Reaves said. "The first thing I told him was, 'I need to let you know. In preseason and even before that, you've been one of the better players out on the floor almost every day. So continue to do that.' He's a good kid, good head on his shoulders, is all about the right stuff and just wants to compete and get better. So, shoutout to him."

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

Austin Reaves added that despite shooting 1-for-12 against the Phoenix Suns in their preseason debut, Bronny James didn't take a lot of bad shots. It just wasn't falling in, so he had nothing to worry about. Bronny's next game against the Golden State Warriors wasn't as bad, but he had five turnovers.

At just 21 years old, Bronny has some room to grow. It will be interesting to see how he responds in the Lakers' remaining preseason games. The Lakers have four more preseason games against the Warriors, Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings.

---

Lakers coach JJ Redick raving about Bronny James' growth

Lakers coach JJ Redick raving about Bronny James' growth. (Photo: IMAGN)

After the LA Lakers' first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, JJ Redick raved about the improvements made by Bronny James despite his poor shooting night. Redick liked the confidence and growth he saw in the young player, who remains under scrutiny for being on a roster.

"He is so much more comfortable and confident as a player," Redick said, according to ESPN. "Skill-wise, read-wise, all of those things have improved, but there's a big difference between improving those things in individual workouts and small group settings and doing it 5-on-5."

Bronny did well in the G League last season, but he was limited to just 27 games in the NBA.

Edited by Juan Paolo David