Revealing Bronny's rookie season: Prince is working harder than you think Confident that he can break through Emperor Zhan in heads-up

On March 21, Beijing time, Joe Vaddon of The Athletic conducted an exclusive interview with Bronny, reviewing how he felt during his rookie season so far. Bronny says he sees his own progress and uses criticism as motivation to move forward. Here's an excerpt from Vardon's report –

Vaddon had made an appointment with Bronny beforehand, but before the interview, he told the Lakers' media officer that he wasn't quite able to match Vardon's name with his face. Although he knew that Vaddon had written about his childhood at a private school in Akron, Ohio, when his dad played for the Cavaliers. But other than that, he needs a little memory hint. So, after the Lakers' latest victory, in the locker room, Vaddon was called over to say hello early so that they could communicate smoothly the next day.

As soon as Brownie saw Vardon, a smile immediately broke out on his face, and he seemed to remember. "I saw the smile I remember when he was a little boy and dribbled around his friends on the court after the Cavaliers won," Vardon said. I also remembered that after that family trip, his grandmother asked him to take all the luggage off the conveyor belt by himself instead of asking the Cavaliers' security guards to help, which he did without complaint, and he showed the same grace back then. I remember Bronny recovering from a major health crisis during a game when he stopped by the Lakers media room during a game and said "yes, sir" and "no, sir" with the same kind of politeness. ”

Compared to then, Brownie is much better now.

"I do feel like I've improved, not only as a player, but also in terms of mentality, to be able to play my game and play the way I'm familiar with playing," Bronny said, "and I feel really good about it – I see my improvement." ”

Bronny played in 21 NBA games for the Lakers, averaging 4.7 minutes per game, scoring 1.6 points while shooting just 26.3 percent from the field. If you haven't seen him play, you might think, "Is this progress?" ”

In their previous game against the Nuggets, the Lakers were missing several regular rotation players, including Bronny's father, James, and new Lakers superstar Doncic. Coach Redick put Bronny on the court for 16 minutes, and although he shot just 1-of-5, it was a crucial three-pointer in a high-pressure situation. He also made free throws and made a steal.

'Redick can have enough trust in him and it's great to play in a big game on a tough away game like Denver. Once he got on the court, he defended a couple of times and made a three-pointer from the bottom corner. I think what he prides himself on is that 3-and-D (three-point and defray) type of player," said Pelinka, the general manager of the Lakers, "and the fact that he can do this in key moments in the NBA shows that he has mastered it well, which is great." ”

Redick added that Bronny has been "really good in training" lately, with his confidence and aggression growing, "and probably his biggest improvement is in his playmaking, and by playmaking I don't just mean passing, but also his ability as a decision-maker, with and without the ball, as a scorer or passer." ”

That's what the Lakers team thinks of their rookie draft with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the draft. What they see is a young player who is improving at the end of the bench and should be in that position at the current stage of his career. Considering that Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during summer training due to a congenital heart defect and missed half of his freshman season to recover, any claim or expectation that he should contribute more to the Lakers this season is unrealistic.

But his growth in the NBA Development League (G League) has been even more significant. In 16 games for the South Bay Lakers, Bronny averaged 17.4 points in 30 minutes per game, shooting 31 percent from three-point range, along with 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

If you're not immediately amazed by these stats, consider this: Bronny's points per game average has never been this high, whether in college or high school. In one professional season, which became the most talked-about rookie season in NBA Development League history thanks to his father, the young man managed to turn himself into a scorer.

"I think it's just a matter of confidence," Bronny said of his transformation. Incidentally, he averaged 4.8 points per game in 25 games at USC, 12.8 points per game in his entire high school career at Sierra Canyon High School, and 14.2 points per game in his junior year of high school.

"I feel like in high school, I would have had reservations because I was young, I was inexperienced, things like that," Bronny continued, "and then I went to college, and I went through that horrible thing and I really didn't have much confidence when I came back...... And in college, I didn't really get that kind of freedom and didn't play the performance I wanted. But after that crisis, gaining experience by playing a lot helped me boost my confidence. ”

After the Lakers drafted Bronny, they signed him to a four-year, fully guaranteed contract. He's going to be a Lakers player, and he's only temporary in the Development League at any time. For a player as inexperienced as Bronny, who was out with an injury after only half a season in college, it was unusual to get such a contract and security. Considering James' status with the Lakers, his draft pick and follow-on contract drew accusations of cronyism.

In a conversation with Vardon, it was Brownie himself who first mentioned the criticism from the outside world. Because of who he is, the history he and his father have made, and his draft and contract situation, Bronny is destined to get more attention than any other late-second-round rookie (or even the best rookie pick or the top pick in last year's draft).

Perhaps the worst criticism, simply because of the influence of the person who posted it, occurred on January 30. After Bronny didn't score a point in a game for the Lakers, ESPN's A. Smith said on the show: "As a father, I implore LeBron James to 'stop this.'" We all know that Bronny made it to the NBA because of his dad'. ”

The incident angered James, who confronted Smith earlier this month after a Lakers home game.

Throughout Bronny's short career, his father had always said that Bronny would ignore or hear criticism — he would keep his head focused on the game and so on. But in our conversations, Brownie said many times that he had actually heard some of what he had said about himself, and that he used it as motivation to move forward.

"My first reaction to it all was that I always tried to go in and out of my left ear, keep my head down, and put myself into my work every day," Brownie said, "but sometimes, those words do motivate me." I saw everything that people said, and people felt like I was a goddamn robot, as if I didn't have any feelings or emotions. But I use that as motivation to wake up every morning, go to the gym early, work on the extra mile, watch more game tapes every day, try to get better every day, and that's what Pelinka wants me to do as a young player, playing in the Development League, sitting at the end of the Lakers' bench and learning from a distance. ”

Bronny said that as long as he's not out playing with the Lakers or Development League teams, he'll get up at 8 a.m. every morning and arrive at the practice facility by 9 a.m. to begin the day's workout, which includes watching game footage, individual training, playing "hold fit" games for players at the end of the Lakers' bench, and physical therapy.

He said he doesn't have much time to train with James, in part because of the irregular training schedule when the Lakers are busy and because he sometimes plays in the Development League.

"I was running from team to team, not always with him with the Lakers," Bronny said, "so I don't have that much time right now, but when the summer offseason rolls around, we're definitely going to train a lot together in the gym and stuff." ”

Perhaps, after James' 22nd season, if he and the Lakers can go further in the playoffs, father and son will have time for a one-on-one battle. When asked by Vardon, Bronny said, "I'm definitely going to break him." ”

If Bronny continues his current momentum, perhaps they can get more time together in practice or games with the Lakers before his father retires. Bronny still has a long way to go to get there, but there's no denying that he's improved in his debut season.

Whenever the Lakers take a big lead at home, the home fans chant "Bronny, Bronny" and ask him to play. Redick complied with the fans' request, and Bronny immediately hit a three-pointer that cheered the entire audience, probably only the defenders who defended him.

"He never seems to waste every day," Pelinka said, "and he really appreciates every day and it's nice to have someone like that in the team." ”