Lakers rookie Bronny James building momentum in G League

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South Bay Lakers guard Bronny James drives past Salt Lake City forward Jason Preston during a G League game Nov. 9. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

The bet the Lakers made on Bronny James always carried a tremendous amount of baggage, their second-round draft pick impossible to separate from the team’s star who made no secret about wanting to play with his son.

Bronny James’ first NBA appearance happened on opening night, long before he was ready. His first points, in Cleveland, came when the game had been decided. And his early G League outings were only mildly encouraging, if at all.

Yet after fading from the spotlight because of a heel injury that cost him multiple weeks, James returned to the Lakers’ South Bay roster, surprising plenty of people by playing road games, not to mention the numbers he produced.

In his last three G League games, James has averaged 20.7 points on 43.1% shooting while showing flashes of being the kind of defender the Lakers hope he can develop into. James will play for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA’s G League showcase this week in Orlando.

“What we’ve stressed with him throughout the summer, preseason, early season was getting himself into elite shape so that he could be a high-level impact player on the defensive end,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday. “And then he has the heel injury and has to lose some of that momentum. [But] we’re excited about what he’s done over the last two games and looking forward to see what he does in the lineup.”

James’ real breakout game came Thursday, when he scored 30 points (and took 23 shots) in a game. He followed it up with 16 points the next time he played.

Read more: LeBron James returns and Lakers overcome Anthony Davis injury scare in win

“Just keep stacking the days, keep putting in the work. The work always prevails at the end of the day,” LeBron James said Sunday of the message to his son. “It’s just great to see him getting back into the flow, getting back to his game, getting back to him just playing free and going out and just playing the game that he loves and knows how to play. I loved his…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-rookie-bronny-james-building-225315640.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-12-17 22:53:00

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