NBA Notes: Lakers, Bronny James, Hawks, Dyson Daniels, Celtics

Lakers

It wasn’t the prettiest night for Bronny James, who shot just 1-of-12 from the field on Friday in the Lakers’ ugly preseason opener.

But coach JJ Redick is still encouraged by the progress he’s seen.

“He is so much more comfortable and confident as a player,” Redick told reporters, via The Associated Press. “Skill-wise, read-wise, all of those things have improved, but there’s a big difference between improving those things in individual workouts and small group settings, and doing it 5-on-5.

“… He’s a totally different player than he was a year ago. I thought the stuff that he did down in the G League last year was huge for him in developing a comfort level in playing at this level.”

• Jarred Vanderbilt made his mark defensively on Friday, showing why team officials have been buzzing about his training camp performance, per The Athletic’s Law Murray. Injuries have limited Vanderbilt to 29 and 36 games the past two seasons, but if he can make strides as a shooter, he could push Rui Hachimura for the starting power forward job.

Hawks

After winning Most Improved Player last season, Dyson Daniels focused on sharpening his offensive game over the summer, writes Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I was able to go and make improvements in a lot of ways,” Daniels said. “I worked a lot on my midrange game, being able to get to spots, different pickups, different footwork, getting good shots, trying to develop that offensive bag.

“And I think that’s been the main focus for me this summer.”

Celtics

First-round pick Hugo Gonzalez is adjusting to NBA terminology while learning English, Souichi Terada of MassLive reports.

The former Real Madrid guard said the coaching staff has been patient as he works through the language barrier.

“We’re going really, really deep now in these practices and also in the training camp that we’ve got,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going into detail on every single situation so that when we are in the game and we’ve got that situation, we can handle it in the best way possible so we can succeed on defense.”