Los Angeles Lakers fans had to wait a bit, but they finally got to see LeBron James back in action after he suited up for the team’s second preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
While the story of the night was LeBron getting a chance to suit up next to Bronny James for the first time, the Lakers as a whole looked better with their superstar on the floor.
LeBron only played about 16 minutes in the first half but was incredibly productive as he led the team in scoring with 19 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The 39 year old looked spry on the court, getting up and down with ease and showing off the elite athleticism he still has.
Offensively, Los Angeles looked much more cohesive as a unit though James did admit that things are still a work in progress. “We did some good things,” LeBron said. “A couple things we could’ve done a little better. We still working on our habits.
“I liked the way we played offensively, we shared the ball. We had some turnovers from myself that I didn’t particularly like but I’m also trying to do some things that are different, which is a good thing though. We want to push the ball, we want to kick the ball ahead, we want to be better with that. But all in all, I thought we had great energy, we paid attention to detail and I feel like we got better. So that’s a win for us.”
With only a handful of practices under their belts, it’s going to take some time for LeBron and the rest of the group to find their footing under head coach JJ Redick.
Redick has emphasized more outside shooting and man movement, and so far the team is doing its best to enact those principles.
The early returns are promising, though, and Los Angeles should only get better as they get more reps together in the preseason. With a few days off before their next preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, it’ll be interesting to see how much more progress the Lakers can make.
LeBron James expressed how surreal it was to suit up with Bronny against the Suns, but the latter admitted he felt like it was a normal game once he subbed in.
