Lakers mull plans for historic first game with LeBron, Bronny

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick already has started thinking about LeBron James and Bronny James becoming the first father-son duo in NBA history to share the court together this season, but he said he will involve both players when it comes to putting a plan in place for when and how that moment happens.

“We obviously have talked about it as a staff and we’ve gotten into some specifics of what that might look like,” Redick said Wednesday during a joint news conference with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. “But we haven’t committed to anything. And obviously, there’s a discussion to be had once we’re all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well.”

LeBron is 39 and entering his 22nd season. Bronny is 19 and entering his rookie year after L.A. drafted him in the second round (No. 55 overall) after he played one season at USC.

While the regular season doesn’t begin until Oct. 22, when the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves, Pelinka said the team already has seen a glimpse of the James bloodline in action during a pickup game at the practice facility this week.

“[Bronny] got switched onto LeBron, and LeBron took him baseline, up and under off the glass,” Pelinka said. “The words exchanged afterward were probably more challenging than anything else.”

LeBron shared some mild-mannered trash talk Wednesday on his Instagram account, posting Pelinka’s quote about the father-son pickup sequence and writing, “Great defense. Better O.”

Redick, entering his first season on the sideline after leaving behind a burgeoning broadcasting and podcasting career, did not sound fazed by the additional assignment of managing the James family while also the team at large.

“I don’t look at it as a challenge,” Redick said. “It’s unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship. Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he’s young and he’s hungry, and he’s got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player. On top of that, he’s a fantastic kid. He’s extremely coachable. He’s got the right spirit and energy every single day. So … it’s not something I’ve really thought of as a challenge.”

The bigger challenge than how to find time for his best player and a rookie who figures to spend a lot of time in the G League together is how to keep the Lakers competitive in a crowded Western Conference field.

Following a first-round playoff exit after earning the No. 7 seed with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament, L.A. is largely returning the same team.

And while the time off has allowed Gabe Vincent and second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino to heal and be ready to report to next week’s training camp fully healthy, according to Pelinka, there are still injuries affecting the roster.

Jarred Vanderbilt underwent procedures on his feet in the offseason, Pelinka revealed Wednesday. He had a midfoot injury in his right foot addressed and a bone spur in his left heel cleaned up.

“We have a lot of optimism that when the real games start, he’ll be available,” Pelinka said of Vanderbilt. “Between now and then, there is still about a month, and there are a lot of ramp up steps that need to go well, so hopefully there won’t be setbacks.”

And backup center Christian Wood continues to be sidelined after having a scope on his left knee earlier this month.

Pelinka and Redick said that “internal growth” from key rotation players such as  Austin Reaves,  D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura will be paramount in supporting James and Anthony Davis on a nightly basis.

The Lakers’ leaders expressed confidence in the group as they head into the season. Redick said he would start the same group of James, Davis, Reaves, Russell and Hachimura that finished last season 23-10. And Pelinka said the team would be open to trading their two available future first-round picks to improve the roster, but not at the expense of the teams they could build in subsequent seasons.

“I think the philosophy that JJ and I are aligned on is we want to build sustainable Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said. “And I think, when we talk about moves, you can make a move that backfires. I think every GM has made a trade where he says, ‘Maybe that one wasn’t ideal.’ But every lens that we look through has to lead to sustainable Lakers excellence.”