Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick did not dress up Bronny James’ preseason. After the Lakers’ fourth exhibition game, Redick said the third-year guard has not played well in games, while pointing to his practices and the lineups around him as part of the story.

“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,” Redick said in his postgame news conference, according to Basketnews and video shared by NBACentral and The NBA Base.

Redick then explained why he thinks the results have lagged behind the work. “Some of it is just rhythm. Some of it is who he’s playing with,” he said. “He’s played a lot of minutes, especially in the second half of games, with our two-way guys.

Tonight, he played with Rafael Castro, who’s been with us for three days. So some of the groups he’s been with have not necessarily set him up for success.”

The quote spread quickly on Wednesday, and not all of the response was about James. The New York Post framed Redick’s explanation as shifting blame toward the Lakers’ two-way players, and plenty of fans online argued the same point.

Others read it as an honest coach separating what he sees in practice from what shows up in second-half preseason minutes.

Either way, Redick was direct about the box score part. He did not say James had been unlucky or misused; he said he had not played well, and that the practice work is what keeps the staff encouraged.

The Lakers have one preseason game left, against the Denver Nuggets, before they open the regular season against the Golden State Warriors on October 21.

That last exhibition is James’ final chance to turn good practices into a better game night before rotation minutes get tighter.

Sources cited by name: JJ Redick postgame news conference; Basketnews; NBACentral; The NBA Base; New York Post.

The WhyNBA Sports Desk writes basketball explainers and dated news briefs. Official references stay with each guide.

Bronny James warms up before the Lakers play the Cavaliers on January 28, 2026. File photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 4.0. Resized.

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