JJ Redick has seen enough in practice to keep some faith in Bronny James. The preseason games, though, have told a rougher story.
Redick said Wednesday that James has not put together four strong preseason outings, even if the work behind the scenes has been better. “I don’t think he’s played well in the four preseason games, but he’s had good practices,” Redick said Wednesday, via Andrew Wright of Yardbarker.
“Some of it is just rhythm, some of it is who he’s playing with. He’s played a lot of minutes in the second half with our two-way guys.”
The numbers back up the concern. James has scored 11 points while committing 12 turnovers, shooting 26.6 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from 3-point range. He has flashed more as a passer, including two games with at least five assists, but the overall line still points to a player who needs real reps to iron out the mistakes and find a rhythm on offense.
That’s why the G League looks like a sensible next step. Burying him near the end of the Lakers’ bench would not give him many chances to grow once the regular rotation settles in. James is 22, so there is time - but the bigger issue is finding the minutes that actually help him develop.
Over with the Warriors, Kristaps Porzingis is still in wait-and-see mode. He said Wednesday that he’s trending in the right direction, though nobody has a firm return date yet.
Porzingis has been sidelined through training camp and the preseason while dealing with health problems, and he said he’s continuing to work with doctors and specialists. “Honestly, I’m getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I’ll be feeling great again soon,” Porzingis wrote, as relayed by Wright of Yardbarker.
He added, “It has definitely been frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can’t exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career, so it has added up for sure, but we will get through it.”
For now, he remains out indefinitely. Golden State traded for him from Atlanta last season and got solid production in a limited sample - 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists across 15 games - before signing him to a two-year, $40 million extension. That’s a big commitment, and it makes his health all the more important to what the Warriors want to do in the frontcourt.
Chicago, meanwhile, turned a sloppy Milwaukee night into a comfortable 125-104 win. The Bulls piled up 41 points off 29 Bucks turnovers, added 20 fastbreak points and finished with 35 assists, with Josh Giddey dishing out nine of them.
Matas Buzelis led the scoring with 19 points and five made 3s, while Noa Essengue strengthened his case for more minutes with active defense and some early offense. Norman Powell and Jalen Smith combined for 21 first-half points as Chicago built a 62-39 lead.
The win came against a short-handed Bucks group - one missing eight players, including Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Myles Turner - but the Bulls still had issues to clean up. Milwaukee outrebounded Chicago 47-40 and got to the line 35 times.
The ball movement was a positive, and the tempo worked. The rebounding and discipline, not so much.
In Other News...
Bulls Young Core Is Already Forcing A Real Rotation Debate
Chicagos fourth preseason win, a 121-98 finish over Milwaukee, offered a little bit of everything the Bulls have been chasing as the regular season approaches. Against a Bucks group missing several key players, Chicago ran the floor well, moved the ball with purpose and got useful looks from a mix of veterans and younger pieces, including Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue and Josh Giddey.
The broader takeaway was less about the final score than the competition it surfaced for minutes. Buzelis and Essengue, in particular, helped underline how quickly the Bulls young core is pressing into the conversation, while Giddeys playmaking fit neatly into the kind of lineup decisions that now seem less straightforward than they did a week ago. The preseason is supposed to sort out roles, but this group may be making that process harder in exactly the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Enter A Star Chase That Could Change Everything
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks still have not come to terms on a contract extension, and the situation has become one more piece of business New York is choosing to park while it focuses on defending a championship and sorting out other roster decisions, including Josh Harts contract. For teams watching from the outside, that has created a real opening around one of the leagues most talented big men, with the Bulls suddenly mentioned among the clubs keeping tabs on where this goes next.
An anonymous NBA executive has already pointed to Chicago and the Clippers as possible landing spots if Towns does not re-sign with New York, a reminder that every delay in extension talks can change the market quickly. For the Bulls, the appeal is obvious: a player of Towns caliber rarely becomes available, and if the Knicks continue to hold off on a deal, Chicago could find itself in a position to make a move it did not seem to have on the board not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Leonard Miller Is Giving The Bulls A Tough Decision Fast
Leonard Miller keeps making the Bulls take notice this preseason, and the latest reminder came in a 125-104 win over the Bucks. He put up 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the victory, continuing a stretch of steady play that has him looking more and more comfortable in Chicago after arriving from Minnesota in February.
Through four preseason games, Miller is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, production that has to matter for a Bulls team sorting through its forward rotation. The performance has also sharpened the focus on what comes next, because Chicago has already committed to keeping him around for this season, and his play is forcing the front office to think about the bigger picture sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]