CNN —
Bronny James, the son of NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, had the best performance of his young professional career on Friday, scoring 17 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final preseason game.
James, making his first preseason start, went 7-of-17 from the field and also had four rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block. However, the missing Lakers, who opted to rest several key players including James Sr., suffered a 132-74 road loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Multi-time All-Stars Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura did not play as first-time head coach J.J. Redick handed the keys to reserve players and rookies. He was among the players. Meanwhile, the Warriors were without star point guard Stephen Curry, but manager Steve Kerr gave playing time to every other rotation player.
Experience proved the difference, and Golden State opened up an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, defeating its Western Conference rival by nearly 60 points.
Despite his strong defensive performance, James struggled offensively before Friday’s matchup, averaging just 1.6 points on 20% shooting through the first five preseason games. According to StatMuse, there were more turnovers than field goals in those games.
But the 20-year-old looked his most confident yet and showed signs of promise. He made his first 3-pointer of the preseason, including a highlight alley-oop dunk off a lob from fellow rookie Quincy Olivari.
James, who was drafted No. 55 overall earlier this year after spending one season at the University of Southern California, is focused on finding and understanding his role on the team, but he’s been given more responsibility in the lineup. He said he is open to the opportunity to take on a job.
“If I’m given the opportunity to go out and play 35 minutes, I’m going to go out and play,” he told reporters after the game. “So I feel like I’ve been given a great opportunity to showcase what I can do in the future…It’s a great moment for me.”
Redick made sure to keep his focus on the big picture after the game.
“Every moment is a building block for (James) and the young players,” he said. “Not only the good moments but also the bad moments are learning opportunities. I think it takes a certain amount of patience and a certain amount of optimism. I am very confident in the level of work of our young players.
“I think it was good for him to get 17 points, but I’m not worried about it one bit. It’s not even on my radar. We’re excited to see him develop into a great basketball player.” I’m trying to help you do that.”
For LA, Olivari scored a game-high 22 points and Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 17 points. Brandin Podzemski added 16 points and was one of five other players to score in double figures on a balanced scoring night for the Warriors.
The 2024/25 NBA regular season begins on Tuesday, October 22nd, with the first game of the season featuring the reigning champion Boston Celtics taking on the revamped New York Knicks. The Lakers are also playing in the season opener, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are also scheduled to visit. Golden State begins the season Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The first regular season game between the Lakers and Warriors will be a huge one. The West Coast rivals will clash in a primetime matchup on Christmas Day.
