Just a night after Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht scored 35 points in spectacular fashion, classmate Bronny James tallied 17 points, three steals, and a block against the Golden State Warriors while shooting 7-17 from the field.
Bronny James pours in 17 PTS, 4 REB, and 3 STL in the @Lakers‘ final #NBAPreseason game! pic.twitter.com/OGVSH00Pex
— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2024
It was arguably his best game in over a year.
Embattled Bronny James Ends Lakers Preseason With Bang
Over the past couple of games, James has altered his approach. At the start of the preseason, he was just focused on playing within the flow, moving the ball and taking some open three-pointers. Now, rather than being passive, he’s been taking it to the defense.
Given that he has a solid first step and a respectable wingspan, it isn’t a bad idea. In fact, he gets to the rim rather easily. The problem was that he hadn’t been finishing well through the contact.
On Friday night, that wasn’t a problem for James.
Whether on or off ball, he attacked the defense, scoring against tough defense. Establishing a connection with Jalen Hood-Schifino, the 17th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, helped. To that point, Hood-Schifino finished the game with a game-high seven assists, three of which went to James. The 2024 No. 55 pick seemed to have solid chemistry with undrafted rookie Quincy Olivari (also known as No. 41) as well.
The fact that James played well in a preseason game may not mean much in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, it had to be a real confidence-builder for the rookie. He hasn’t been quite himself since battling back from cardiac arrest last year but Friday could be the start of a new chapter.
That being said, though it was a preseason game, the Warriors played most of their rotation players. Furthermore, James did his best work against them. This close to the start of the regular season, that counts for something.
The Last Word On Bronny James
James is likely to spend a considerable portion of his rookie season with the Lakers’ G League affiliate. Though his game against the Warriors was promising, he has plenty of work to do before being a reliable rotation player. The most glaring issue is his outside jumper, as James went 1-12 from beyond the arc this preseason.
The 20-year-old also needs to work on his finishing, intermediate game, and ball-handling. There’s a beauty to simplicity but adding more wrinkles to his game wouldn’t hurt. As he gets more reps and the game continues to slow down for him, a monarch may just emerge from his cocoon.
