SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court during the second half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images Jackson Frank Wed, October 14, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through four preseason appearances, the initial in-game returns for Bronny James Jr. aren't ideal. He's gone 4-of-15 from the floor (1-of-7 beyond the arc) and dished out 13 assists to 12 turnovers. While Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick acknowledged James's struggles, he added some context to help explain the slow start.
"I thought he had a really nice September and a good summer with us. I don't think he's played well in the four preseason games, but he's had good practices. Some of it's just rhythm. Some of it's who he's playing with, right?" Redick told reporters after Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. "He's played a lot of minutes, especially in the second half of games, with our two-way guys and tonight we played with Rafael [Castro], who's who's been with us for three days. So some of it is like the group he's with. I think that is not necessarily setting him up for success."
Aside from James, who did not score (0-of-2 shooting) and committed four turnovers (zero assists), his fellow backend bench guards, Jaden Hardy and Chris Mañon, also labored during Tuesday's defeat. Hardy scored 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting (1-of-6 from deep) and had two assists to three turnovers. Mañon scored five points on perfect 2-of-2 shooting but logged one assist to four turnovers.
Redick recognized the poor performance of those three, which contributed to a dismal second half offensively (26 total points), and knows they'll be needed throughout the regular season when injuries to other backcourt members occur. But he didn't place the blame solely on their shoulders and made clear the coaching staff has to find ways to simplify the game for them as well.
"We've talked to those guys. I mean, the reality is, again, if one of our three primary handlers are out, one of those guys…one of those guys is going to play," Redick said. "It's too taxing with full-court pressure for [Reaves] and [Luka] to just do that solely. We'll keep trying to get better and those guys, their intent is there…Overall, it just was not a good offensive product in the second half and I'll look at what I can do better with that too."
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf .
Source: Sports
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