As the Los Angeles Lakers get ready for another NBA season, they are gearing up with the preseason games on the docket. Los Angeles grabbed their first win of the preseason on Thursday, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 107-102.
It was a good game throughout and multiple key members of the Lakers got some real game action under their belts. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis played in this game, helping the team seal the win.
James put in 16 minutes, scoring 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Davis was on the court for 25 minutes, putting in 11 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.
The Lakers have been trying to navigate how to weigh minutes for each player to avoid injury and unnecessary playing time in meaningless games. So far, head coach JJ Redick and his staff have done a good job of balancing it all.
But even with the stars playing, most of the eyes were on rookie guard Bronny James. Bronny only appeared in six minutes of game action and failed to score a single point for the second straight contest.
He finished the game by going 0-for-4 from the field, including missing his only shot attempt from beyond the 3-point line. It was a rough go for the rookie guard and a game that he would likely want to forget.
The former USC product failed to register any single statistic in this game but to his credit, he didn’t play for very long. However, this is a concerning trend that has emerged for the rookie.
His shot is still a major work in progress and luckily for the Lakers, he won’t be playing too much during the games that count. Bronny is expected to be in the G-League for the majority of the NBA season as he looks to develop his game even more.
Los Angeles is high on his overall upside and he has already shown to have strong defensive instincts on the floor. If he can get his offensive game to even a decent skillset, the Lakers may be able to have him be an impactful player on the court.
The team will be patient with him as he grows his basketball game but it will be up to Bronny to fully execute it all. If he can develop, Los Angeles will give him a roster spot to prove himself down the line.