LeBron-Bronny Game and What Comes Next for Lakers! A Closer Look

On Sunday night in Palm Springs, California history was made. Although Kevin Durant led Phoenix Suns to victory against Los Angeles Lakers on an emotional night. At 12:00 of the second quarter, LeBron and Bronny James played side by side on an NBA court for the first time ever – marking an historic first for father/son duos! LeBron is 39 and entering his 22nd season; seven out of this time around will be spent with Los Angeles Lakers. Bronny, 20, was selected in the second-round of the 2024 draft after one season at USC and made his preseason debut Thursday against Minnesota Timberwolves scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting while 16 minutes in. Unfortunately for Bronny 124-107 was the score. LeBron made his Lakers debut Sunday night, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting while Bronny played only 13 minutes and did not record any scores. Our NBA insiders assess this historic night by discussing everything Bronny has shown through training camp and two preseason games so far and what more needs to be accomplished before getting meaningful NBA minutes. Attributes Bronny Displayed so Far… “Bronny has demonstrated an intense competitive spirit both defensively and on offense that should lead him towards playing meaningful minutes at some point this season”…. Our NBA Insiders analyze this historic evening by discussing everything Bronny has demonstrated so far and what more needs to happen before meaningful NBA minutes can start being delivered:.What Bronny Has Shown” So far: Above all else, Bronny has demonstrated superior competitiveness on defense while attacking with both hands off and off ball competition from opponents… He demonstrated this ability with three blocks in 16 minutes during the Lakers preseason opener last week. (Bronny made an impactful first defensive display alongside LeBron in which they forced a turnover with both father and son acting as stoppers at the top of the key by swarming together to the basket). Editor’s Picks RelatedBronny may make occasional errors on defense; for instance, on Sunday he fouled an opposing three-point shooter late in a close game, infringing upon their three-pointer’s fouls against them. But his quick feet and physical strength make up for some mistakes on that front; it is good news. The challenge, however, lies elsewhere; creating an offense efficiently won’t come effortlessly. Particularly considering his position and that minutes won’t come easily as games begin counting for something. Sunday saw three turnovers within his first three minutes (and four overall miscues including traveling violation and illegal screen). And while he may look good in practice and garbage time, the 20-year-old rookie has struggled so far during two preseason contests for Los Angeles — shooting just 1-for-7 for each preseason contest — an early sign he may need to put forth more work to develop his offense once regular season play begins. — Chris HerringWhere Bronny James Fits In and Where he Doesn’t In order for Bronny James to break into the Lakers rotation, it would have to come at the expense of Jalen Hood-Schifino or Gabe Vincent from last season, or see spot minutes during regular season because of his defensive prowess (evidenced by his chase down block of Nickeil Alexander-Walker during an exhibition opener game). If this occurs it would certainly show Bronny can hold his own; As the game concluded, he blocked two more shots while harassing veteran point guard Tyus Jones while providing solid defensive coverage on forward Royce O’Neale. JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers commented after Minnesota game that Randle could do some unique defensive moves at his size that made him standout as an effective and disruptive defender. That proved true on defense. On offense however, Randle is still finding out who he is as well. As part of our player development program, our job as player developers is simply to develop him.” Unfortunately, his offense remains an area for improvement despite summer league participation; his struggles from summer league have carried into preseason play thus far. Redick made sure Bronny James was surrounded with two shooters during Sunday’s matchup against Phoenix: Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht shot 36.6% from the field and 26.7% on threes during his senior year at USC; that number likely will not change when G-League training camp begins October 28. South Bay Lakers first game is set for November 9 and so expect Bronny James will remain active within their roster even if his role remains undecided at that time. What these shared minutes between LeBron and Bronny mean — for now What did you do to mark your 20th birthday? Bronny experienced something truly remarkable while playing alongside his dad LeBron in an NBA game for the first time ever, alongside Kevin Durant who has known Bronny since he was toddler. Though they acted casual, as though this were any regular Sunday evening, everyone at the arena knew this momentous occasion would never happen again during regular season play – that will truly mark an extraordinary momentous event — Brian Windhorst