Bronny James’ first year with the Lakers largely took place behind the scenes. Save for some memorable on-court moments that had more to do with his presence than his production, Bronny spent his time in the G League.
Now, he heads into the rest of the summer looking to build off that strong showing. One of the focuses for him will be improving his conditioning, which both he and head coach JJ Redick talked about in a feature written by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“The biggest thing for Bronny is that he has to get in elite shape,” Redick told ESPN. “That’s the barrier of entry for him right now. And if he does that, I think he’s got a chance to be a really fantastic player in the NBA.”
Of the many steps backwards that Bronny took after suffering his cardiac event, one of the biggest was likely his conditioning. Spending the better part of six months unable to do likely any level of serious conditioning is going to set you back quite a bit.
Building that up, once again, is not something that happens in the snap of a finger, either. It’s a long process to get back anywhere near where he was. And, as Bronny talked about in the piece, new challenges have arisen since that incident.
“I get kind of sick easier now. Which is kind of weird, but I think it messed with my immune system a little bit. So, I would have times where I have to sit out, and that conditioning that I’m working on just goes away in that week of me being out.”
As much as Bronny has made improvements in his game over the last year, there’s still room to grow — or get back — as well. Getting into top shape has many benefits that come along with it, but with expectations for him rising entering his second season, the asks of him are only going to increase.