NBA rookie guard Bronny James scored a preseason-high 17 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 132-74 blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Bronny, the eldest son of LeBron James who was picked No. 55 in the draft by the Lakers, started against the Warriors and put up 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting with four rebounds, three steals, and one block in 35 minutes.
“It just a great feeling to go out there and not think as much as I do and just play,” Bronny James said after the game. The USC product had struggled in his first five preseason games.
Bronny James pours in 17 PTS, 4 REB, and 3 STL in the @Lakers‘ final #NBAPreseason game! pic.twitter.com/OGVSH00Pex
— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2024
Entering Friday’s matchup, the 20-year-old had scored eight points total on just 4-for-20 shooting (0-for-7 from 3-point range) with five turnovers. He finally had somewhat of a breakout performance at Golden State.
James made his first shot less than a minute after tipoff, scoring on a cutting layup while taking contact at the rim. In the second quarter, he then connected on a triple, beating the shot clock with a 28-foot jumper from the top of the arc.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James started off sluggish during the NBA Summer League
Lakers coach JJ Redick said it was a step in the right direction for the development of James.
“I think for him and all our younger players, all the moments are building blocks,” Redick said. “Not just the good moments. The bad moments are learning opportunities. I think you have to have a level of patience, a level of optimism. I’m very confident in the level of work that our young guys have had.
“So again, I think for him, I’m sure it felt good to have 17 points. … I’m not even remotely concerned about that. It’s not even on my radar. Like, we’re trying to help him grow into a great basketball player.”
Bronny James is 0/14 from three in the Summer League.
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) July 16, 2024
Bronny James’ underwhelming preseason outing mirrored his showing during summer league play at the California Classic and in Las Vegas, where he started off slow offensively before scoring in double digits in his last two games.
“[It gives me] just a little bit of confidence going into the season even though I might not be in that rotation, might not be playing, but just going into practice, maybe G League games with that confidence in myself to go out there and play my game,” James said. “I feel like that’s the biggest part of it.”
In 25 games (six starts) at USC last season, James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 19.3 minutes per contest while shooting 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from deep, and 67.6% at the free throw line.
