Lakers guard Bronny James senses growth in Year 2

Benjamin Royer, The Orange County Register on Feb 11, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — The takeaways were few and far between in Victor Wembanyama’s seemingly single-handed destruction of the Lakers on Tuesday night.

Without LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton on the floor, the Lakers avoiding double-digit defeat would have been a near-miracle considering the full-strength operation the Western Conference’s second-best Spurs showcased in their 136-108 victory.

Lakers coach JJ Redick was dissatisfied with a plethora of woes, from Wembanyama’s game-opening tip until the final buzzer.

But how about the youth, who earned some run on the hardwood as a second consecutive defeat solidified as Wembanyama set new personal bests? Bronny James, 21, arguably played the best of the bunch, tallying a season-high 25 minutes to record a season-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting (2 for 2 from 3-point range), along with six assists.

In the second quarter, the eldest son of LeBron James won a pair of defensive matchups against the 7-foot-4 Frenchman, forcing Wembanyama into an offensive foul on the first of the two despite being just one of two Lakers standing at a team-low 6-foot-2. In the fourth quarter, James blocked a shot from 7-foot reserve center Kelly Olynyk before firing home a 3-pointer in transition.

“The takeaway, in terms of the physicality we wanted on defense, he had two really good possessions in the first half against Wemby,” Redick said of Bronny James, who has averaged 2.3 points per game across 28 games.

Bronny James, who played one year for USC as a one-and-done college basketball guard, said he’s grown as a player from Year One to Year Two, adjusting to the physicality of the NBA while remaining in a small bench role under his father’s tutelage.

“Yeah, for sure,” Bronny James said. “(I) feel different. Feel way more comfortable. My teammates believe in me, my coaches believe in me. That’s all I’ve wanted. It’s just good to get out there and take advantage of the minutes I get.”

Bronny James added: “I’d say defensively — that’s my role that I want to excel at, especially on this team. We have a lot of guys: Luka, LeBron, AR, those guys can go get buckets whenever we need them. But they need guys like myself … guys who can defend. Definitely get more satisfaction out of that.”

Adou Thiero, the 21-year-old rookie forward who returned to action Tuesday night after being out with a right MCL sprain since late December, said his budding chemistry with Bronny James is coming to fruition on the floor.

The developmental prospects have shared the floor in stay-ready games in practice — five-on-five games for players lacking consistent minutes or returning from injury — and in games for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G-League. The 2025 second-round selection of the Brooklyn Nets — later flipped to the Lakers in a seven-team trade — said James now has a pulse for where he could go on the floor, leading to explosive plays like a late-game alley-oop against the Spurs.

“He had a great game, just shooting open shots, knocking them down, creating for others,” Thiero said of Bronny James. “I saw Bronny have the ball and now I feel like we have the connection now to where I put my finger in the air and he already knows to throw the ball up.”