Bronny James has had a rough start to his NBA career. His legendary father, LeBron James, was always going to be a hard pair of shoes to fill. Still, Bronny could have done without the avalanche of criticism that came his way from analysts like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.
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Smith even claimed that Bronny’s inclusion on the Lakers roster had more to do with who his dad was. That was some time ago, though, and Bronny seems to have come a long way since then.
Yesterday, the Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 123-115, their sixth win in eight games. However, let’s not forget that the purple and gold have been without LeBron since the beginning of the season, and for the game against the Trail Blazers, key stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were also rested.
These setbacks could have made things extremely difficult for the team, but Deandre Ayton had other plans as his 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks practically secured them the win. Notably, Rui Hachimura also chimed in with 28 points. In the midst of all this, Bronny made the most of his 19 minutes on the court, scoring 5 points and contributing further with 6 assists and a rebound!
Overjoyed with the Lakers’ upset win, franchise legend James Worthy clapped along with the crowd and said, “best game of the year in my opinion. They have had some good games, but this one is indicative of what JJ Riddick has been putting out there to this team.”
“Regardless of who’s on the floor, the principles remain the same. You might not have the talented players like Luka, you might not have LeBron and Reaves, but you have the same principles as a team. I thought they worked it to a T. Smith coming in doing what he did, Rui, taking an 8 and coming back home to Portland, playing a good game. I thought they did a good job defensively,” he added.
Worthy took a moment to call this “Bronny’s best game of his NBA career.” “For a young kid who’s been working toward, trying to get more experience, he came in when they needed him. He had some assists. He had some big rebounds, kept the ball in play. Hit a big 3,” Worthy further noted.
The former Lakers star added that the more Bronny gets to play alongside the team’s big players, the more he’ll learn to adjust. The youngster should definitely take advantage of the opportunities he’s getting, especially early in the season. Once the competition tightens and the battle for the West becomes cutthroat, the big names will dominate the minutes on the court.
As of right now, he seems to be showing tremendous improvement compared to his rookie season. One can only hope he remains on this upward trajectory going forward.
