Bronny James's rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers is in the books, and his second year in the NBA will commence shortly as summer league gets underway over the upcoming week.
As James takes part in the summer league and looks ahead to his sophomore season, he's focused on his professionalism—from eating healthier to conditioning into better shape.
“So that’s my main focus, probably why I’m getting a little leaner,” James said, via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “But I still got 215 [pounds] on me still. So, I’m just running a lot, getting a lot of conditioning in. And then just staying on top of my diet, eating healthy, being a professional. It’s just Year 2, so I gotta lock in on the things that I didn’t know before my rookie year and being better and excel with that. Yeah, my main focus is this year, or this summer, has been being in elite condition. That’s what I’ve been talking to my coaches about.”
Over his rookie season, James appeared in 27 games for the Lakers with one start, averaging 2.3 points per game. He saw greater time in the G League, where he averaged 21.9 points per game.
Though James showed improvement as a shooter throughout his rookie season, he's primarily focused on getting into great condition so he can continue to build on his play on the defensive side of the ball, which has been his strength thus far.
"I can't lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor because there's gonna be guys that can score 15, 20 a game," James told reporters earlier this week. "I'm most likely not going to be that guy right now. To get myself on the floor, I've got to be a defensive menace. That's my main focus, getting conditioned this year. It's been shown that I know how to score the ball a little bit, I'm staying true to that, but also focusing on the defensive end."
James will get to display the work he's put in the offseason this week during the summer league, and as the NBA season approaches.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bronny James Reveals How He's Taking Next Steps Ahead of Second Season With Lakers.