Gilbert Arenas says Bronny James became more aggressive because something happened ‘that we missed’

Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has starred in the G League lately after getting off to a rocky start to his time with the South Bay Lakers.

In his G League debut with South Bay against the Salt Lake City Stars back in November, he attempted just nine shots from the field and finished with six points. About a week later, in his second G League game, he accumulated four points while shooting 2-of-10 from the floor.

These days, he’s taking more shots and scoring more points. According to former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas, James is a more aggressive player now because something transpired “that we missed.”

“How he looked at the beginning of the year — soon as he got the ball, pass it, right?” Arenas began. “Not looking — dribbling to make passes. This is a whole different mindset, and I wanna know what happened in a game or a practice. Something happened. … What was his moment? There was a moment that we missed.

“I don’t know if it was a practice, a game. I don’t know if him and [Quincy] Olivari have been going at it, and he got the best of him. There’s something that made him become this. We all have had it, where there was a moment that you did something, and you was like, ‘Oh s—, these motherf—— ain’t like that.'”

James has clearly been playing with a different level of bravado and fierceness at the G League level compared to his first games with South Bay. He has scored over 20 points in four of his last five games played with Los Angeles’ G League affiliate.

He most recently played for South Bay when the team took on the Valley Suns on Feb. 22. In a contest South Bay went on to win, James lit up the scoreboard with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

James has found his shooting touch from 3-point range at the G League level after he shot 0-of-10 from that range across his opening three games with South Bay. He has buried multiple triples in six consecutive G League games, and he totaled as many as five 3s in one game in that span.

The 20-year-old has appeared in a total of 13 G League games this season and is now averaging 17.8 points per contest.

For as productive as James has been on the offensive side of the ball for South Bay in recent months, he hasn’t gotten many opportunities to play for Los Angeles as of late. His last NBA action came more than a fortnight ago when the Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz back on Feb. 12. It’s worth noting that the All-Star break came right after that.

With any luck for James, head coach J.J. Redick will call his number in the near future, and he will get a real opportunity to show off his improvements.