Draymond Green Praises Bronny James After 2026 Playoff Minutes
Draymond Green praised bronny james after the Lakers guard logged 2026 playoff minutes and drew fresh attention for handling a limited role. Green called out the criticism around James and said the minutes were worth more than the noise around his season.
Green backs Bronny James
“Shout out to Bronny,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. He added, “So much criticism for him throughout his career. He’s been the 13th or 15th man all year, and he’s playing great playoff minutes. He’s playing great playoff basketball. Gotta give him a lot of credit. How dope is it to see a man and his son playing in a playoff series in the NBA? That’s so fire! All the haters, keep hating. I love to see it.”
Green had already signaled belief in James a year earlier, when he said, “Yes, I think Bronny will be a successful player in the NBA,” and added, “I also think it’s a smart move for him to go in this NBA draft because this draft is basura.” James went 55th in the 2024 NBA Draft after recovering from cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023.
Bronny James in 2026 playoffs
James has turned that support into a small but useful playoff sample. In the 2026 playoffs, he averaged 2.5 points, 1.0 assists and 0.5 rebounds in four games while playing eight minutes a night.
His shot-making was efficient in that span. He went 4-for-8 from the field, a 50% clip, and 2-for-5 from three, which came out to 40%.
Lakers role and Redick
That work came after a season in which James averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in his debut year, appeared in 42 NBA games and logged 8.9 minutes per night. He also played 14 G League games and averaged 15.6 points and 3.7 assists there.
JJ Redick framed the Lakers’ approach to James plainly when he said, “When we drafted Bronny, Bron and I had one conversation very early on that I was going to coach Bronny. I was not going to coach LeBron’s son. And differentiating that… that’s what he wanted,” a line that fits the way James has been handled as a player first. With playoff minutes now on his ledger, the next step is not about the criticism around his name but whether he keeps earning a larger role in the same setting.
