Celtics’ Jaylen Brown addresses viral video comments about Bronny James but what did he say?
The Celtics star seems to have put his foot in his mouth with recent comments about LeBron James’ son. Though he reneged, the damage may be done.
While it’s clear that the level of anticipation surrounding Bronny James’ imminent entry into the NBA is paramount, not everybody seems to be convinced and that includes one of the Boston Celtics’ central stars. At least, that’s what a recent video appeared to demonstrate.
Jaylen Brown clears the air on viral video of Bronny James take
On Monday night, a video made the rounds on social media and it would be fair to say that heads turned. In the clip, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was caught on camera appearing to say that he doesn’t believe Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has what it takes to be a professional. Sat courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the Celtics’ summer league game against the Lakers with his partner, Kysre Gondrezick, and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, Brown offered a rather curious take on the son of Lakers icon LeBron James. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before the Celtics guard took to social media once again to address his comments. You can see that below:
Now, regarding James’ performance that night, the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, scored two points on 1-for-5 shooting, pulled down three rebounds, and provided one assist, while also coughing up two turnovers in a total of 25 minutes played. As for the Lakers, the team lost 88-74 to their age-old rivals. To be clear, Monday’s game marked James’ fourth for his new team, meaning these are still early days. It’s also worth noting that the 19-year-old who will turn 20 in October was not acquired for his offensive prowess but rather his defensive capabilities, something the Lakers believe they can develop even further.
Indeed, during an interview last week, new Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke to exactly that point as he highlighted what the team hopes will be a future elite point-of-attack defender. “He’s a development player. That’s how we’re looking at Bronny. He’s certainly going to spend time with the Lakers. He will spend time as well in the G League,” Redick said.
“As we sort of build out our player development program, he’s going to be an important part of that. And what I’ve communicated to him, right now, what we’re looking for is defensive ball pressure. I told him this yesterday. I said, ‘I don’t care if you have 10 fouls, I don’t care if you get blown by. What I do care about is if you’re on the ball and you’re three feet off the ball. You have to be a guy that’s a ball hawk at all times.’ Redick didn’t stop there. “We’re going to develop his shot. We’ll develop his ball skills. He’s already got a great feel. He has a really instinctive nature on the defensive end.”