Lakers' LeBron James reacts to Bronny's 'first extensive minutes' of career
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When Bronny James played 15 minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, that was his first taste of extensive minutes, and his dad, LeBron James saw it unfold. While Bronny made a defiant admission about his performance, his father’s was more of the same. Despite scoring no points in 15 minutes, LeBron remains optimistic about what his son will take away from the game.
“Obviously, it’s his first extensive minutes with us,” LeBron said via ESPN. “We had that first game where it was just a moment — and that was a great moment. But tonight was his first opportunity to be with the big guys, be with the big club, and he’s going to continue to use that and get better and better.”
The 19-year-old has spent the majority of his time in the G-League this season. So far, he’s been quite the star for the South Bay Lakers. He’s been averaging roughly 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. His scoring has picked up, and has shown flashes of what he can do. For instance, he dropped a career-high 31 points.
After LeBron and Bronny made NBA history by being the first father-son duo to play together in a game, Bronny needs more development. However, Tuesday’s game was a good test of where he’s at.
Lakers’ LeBron James isn’t worried about Bronny James
The goose egg on Bronny’s stat line doesn’t make matters easier to digest. However, he was matched up against Tyrese Maxey and had little time to prepare. As a result, Maxey dropped 43 points and exploited the rookie on defense. That doesn’t mean Bronny is a bad player. It just means that he’s not at that level just yet.
Still, LeBron has all the confidence in his son. But do the Lakers? General manager Rob Pelinka made it clear as to why they drafted Bronny. However, with the Lakers being a win-now team, it’s uncertain if Bronny can make an immediate impact on either side of the ball.
Either way, they have confidence in him. Also, being coached by JJ Redick is a plus. He doesn’t hold anything back and shown he’s a quality basketball mind. With fellow rookie Dalton Knecht, the second-round pick can sneak his way into the rotation by simply being a hustle guy.
At the end of the day, ripping the band-aid off was likely the best thing for Bronny and his father. It gave him a taste of what elite NBA play is like. He’ll use this as a stepping stone on how to improve. Still, the Lakers would aspire to see a rapid improvement sooner rather than later.
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