Imago
LeBron James, Bronny James, JJ Redick (Unlicensed Images)
Imago
LeBron James, Bronny James, JJ Redick (Unlicensed Images)
Just as the Los Angeles Lakers looked set to close out the series with authority, back-to-back stumbles have shifted the conversation away from tactics and toward a far more personal storyline. Fans are now questioning JJ Redick, not for his play-calling, but for a decision involving Bronny James that some believe is quietly affecting LeBron James himself.
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What began as a routine playoff adjustment has snowballed into a fan-driven theory: that Bronny’s absence from the rotation isn’t just a coaching call, but a factor influencing LeBron’s rhythm, body language, and overall impact on the floor. As the series against the Houston Rockets tightens, this unexpected father-son subplot is quickly becoming the focal point of Game 5 discourse.
Ryan Lucas, an LA beat writer, pointed to the “unpreparedness” displayed by the Lakers tonight. A successful strategy they implemented at first was sending double teams. It particularly worked with Kevin Durant as the ball handler. However, with Alperen Sengun making plays from the elbow, that same action didn’t help.
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Sengun torched the Lakers’ defense with incisive passing. He had eight assists to show for it. However, the larger picture captures Houston’s improved offense. They had just 10 turnovers and 25 assists. With Amen Thompson and Sengun sharing playmaking duties, the Lakers’ double-teams just didn’t work.
JJ.
the team with arguably the greatest of all time, multiple playoff tested vets, and a 3-1 series advantage playing at home after 2 full days of rest looked completely unprepared, rattled, and at times almost disinterested after the 1st quarter – with a little life at the end…
— Ryan Lucas (@RyanLucas_LA) April 30, 2026
You can also point to certain adjustments during the game. JJ Redick appointed Marcus Smart to run some plays even with LeBron James and Austin Reaves on the floor. Smart contributed to six of the 15 Laker turnovers. Luke Kennard, who is experiencing a cold stretch, played 31 minutes and had just a single point.
The Lakers lacked any inspiration in what should have been a hypothetical Game 7. This was a chance to close out the series and avoid going back to Houston. Now, with two straight losses on their backs, the Lakers are the ones searching for answers. The Rockets, even with a deficit still, look like the team that could move forward.
But out of all the errors, fans are narrowing down on JJ Redick’s failure to exploit LeBron James. They feel like the Lakers head coach has snatched James’ motivation.
Lakers fans implore JJ Redick to use Bronny James
One of the primary reasons for the Lakers’ sudden decline is LeBron James. Over his last two games, the Akron Hammer has recorded 10 turnovers. He seems to have lost the pop in his step. And fans feel there’s a clear reason JJ Redick can’t see. “Why did they bench Bronny?!?!?! LeBron was clearly accessing his supernatural powers from those father-son minutes,” a fan wrote.
In those first three games, the tandem shared 23 minutes together. The Lakers shot 46.2% from beyond the arc. Both James and Bronny combined for a 10-0 run in Game 3, the last game the Lakers won. Since then, Bronny James hasn’t checked into the game except in the wasteful minutes of Game 4. “LeBron not locking in cause Bronny isn’t playing,” a fan noticed.
That was a common dialogue running inside the Laker Nation. The Guardian’s Claire De Lune wrote, “Sounds silly, but I think JJ not playing Bronny is zapping LeBron of his mid-game energy boost, and it’s not like his production could be much worse than some of their other bench options tonight”.
Stats somewhat back those claims up. When Bronny James was a regular in the rotations, his father averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 43.8% from beyond the arc. Over the last two games, LeBron James hasn’t recorded a single three-pointer, coincidentally not sharing a single minute with his son on the floor.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a superstar’s fire get dialed up by playing alongside someone they share a deep personal connection with, and LeBron James himself has lived this script before.
Back in the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron was at his absolute peak when he shared the floor with Kyrie Irving. The two weren’t just teammates; they had built a genuine big-brother/little-brother bond off the court.
In Games 5, 6, and 7 of that series, with the Cavs facing elimination, LeBron’s energy, defensive intensity, and clutch gene went nuclear whenever Kyrie was locked in beside him.
The duo combined for legendary moments, including Kyrie’s Game 7 dagger. LeBron later admitted in interviews that having a teammate he truly trusted and vibed with elevated his entire approach to the game. It wasn’t just basketball; it was personal.
Fast-forward to today, and Lakers fans are seeing echoes of that same pattern with Bronny James. LeBron has been refreshingly open about how special it feels to share the court with his son. He’s called those minutes some of the “greatest moments” of his career.
Notably, in the limited 6:36 minutes played together during the playoffs, the five-man lineup of LeBron, Bronny, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Vanderbilt posted a +47.8 points per 100 possessions differential.
LeBron looked bouncy and engaged, and the team rolled to a 3-1 lead. Since Bronny was pulled from meaningful rotation minutes, LeBron has gone cold from deep (0-for-his-last-12 from three across Games 4 and 5), committed 10 turnovers, and shown visible frustration, including blowing a wide-open layup in Game 5 that looked completely out of character.
It’s not crazy to wonder if JJ Redick is missing a motivational X-factor right in front of him. LeBron has historically played with extra juice when surrounded by players with whom he shares real chemistry, whether it was Kyrie in Cleveland, Dwyane Wade in Miami, or now his own son. Bench Bronny entirely, and you risk dimming that spark in the greatest player of his generation when the Lakers need him most. “LeBron only doesn’t troll when Bronny is on the court, so just throw him in,” a fan wrote.
That came after some out-of-character moments in Game 5. James blew an easy layup under the rim in the fourth quarter and went 0/6 from three-point range. Psychologically, he may have the capabilities to beat ‘Father Time’ when Bronny James is able to make an impact on the Lakers’ playoff proceedings.
Some fans aren’t against that notion. In fact, they feel JJ Redick needs to back the “trust” he has in Bronny James more often. “LeBron puts up 30, Austin puts up 25, Marcus is smart again, Luke hits his threes, Ayton locks in, Jake LaRavia doesn’t play, Bronny takes Jake’s minutes, we winning ts,” a fan wrote.
It demands a lot from the Lakers’ starters. But that’s been the Lakers’ theme this season. Bronny James provides a better defensive cover when Kennard’s shots aren’t falling. And Redick’s on record speaking about the 21-year-old’s shooting improvements.
Understandably, it’s difficult to integrate Bronny as a high-minute player in such a short time. But JJ Redick can surely use his skill set to create a similar game plan that saw the Lakers win three games.
Written by
Edited by
Tanay Sahai