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The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to tread water without LeBron James. Despite Thursday’s 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, they are still 3-3 since the four-time MVP injured his groin against the Boston Celtics. Fortunately, even without the legendary forward, the Lakers aren’t completely bereft of players named LeBron James.
After all, they also have his son, Bronny James, who got 30 minutes of playing time on Thursday and managed to make the most of them. In those 30 minutes, he scored 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. While he tied with Dalton Knecht for the team lead in scoring, his biggest highlight, like so many of his father’s, came on a pass.
The elder James is known for his hit-ahead passes in transition. Bronny had one of his own, setting up teammate Markieff Morris for an easy layup in the second quarter.
The younger James hasn’t been able to carve out significant playing time even with this recent rash of injuries for the Lakers. Prior to Thursday, he had never played more than 15 minute and 43 seconds in an NBA game, nor had he reached double digits in scoring.
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But Thursday represented a perfect storm for him in his quest to prove he belongs in the NBA. The Lakers were missing not only his father, but all of their other starters except Jaxson Hayes. That created plenty of backcourt minutes, and James played well enough within those minutes not to cede them to other reserves. The result was his biggest step forward as a professional. Well, at least at the NBA level.
James has thrived in the G-League this season, scoring over 20 points per game in nine appearances. He still has a ways to go before he can share the court with his father consistently. He is small for a defensive-minded guard, coming in below 6-2, and his jump shot is still a work in progress.
But James was once considered a possible first-round pick, and Thursday was a glimpse at why. Slowly but surely, he’s improving. That won’t get him into the playoff rotation for the Lakers, but it’s a promising sign of what could come.
