With the NBA playoffs less than a month away, teams make nightly calculated lineup decisions based on health and playoff seeding. Against Milwaukee, the Lakers rested everybody on the second night of a back-to-back.
Well, almost everybody.
Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were held out, joining LeBron James and a cast of rotation players sidelined. Predictably, the Lakers lost handily.
This allowed all the young guys, including Bronny James, to get significant time. Playing a season-high 29 minutes, he finished with 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Surprising numbers for most, but perhaps not for those who have been paying attention.
Debuting as a timid and hesitant player, Bronny has become a confident on-ball scorer in the G League. In South Bay, he’s posted averages of 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and scored in double figures every regular-season game, including 31- and 28-point outbursts.
We’ve obviously monitored him in the G [League] and feel like he’s in those sort of end-game situations when he’s gotten a chance to play with us, he’s been really good.” head coach J.J Redick said. “So, not surprised by tonight. And I think his confidence is growing.”
Early questions about whether he belonged in the G-League were quickly answered. Now, the ever-moving goalpost is whether his performance translates to the NBA. At least for one night, it did.
Being a successful guard, especially on the ball at 6’3″, requires specific prerequisite skills. One of these is the in-between game. Floaters and mid-range shots are essential.
Bronny found success taking high-volume looks from these areas with South Bay. Watch below as his first basket of the night is a one-leg in-between floater.
A ghost screen — or a fake screen — by Jordan Goodwin freezes his defender for a second, allowing for a drive. Straight-line dives don’t always lead to the rim, and finding a passing angle can be difficult. Having a floater in the arsenal keeps these from being dead-end attacks.
Late in the third period, he comes off two stagger screens and hits the mid-range jumper against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is in drop coverage.
A similar situation here as the rim isn’t available, and the open man is the ball handler in mid-range. Point blank, this is an NBA-level shot. It’s a shot he’s made consistently in the G-League, translating against NBA-level athletes and defense. The improvements from the beginning of the season show a ton of repetition and work put in.
In today’s league, whether you can shoot the three or not heavily decides the trajectory of your career, almost no matter the position. Bronny takes eight threes per game in the G League, connecting on 36%. He’s made three or more from outside the arc in six of his nine games.
Most of these attempts are off the bounce, which he demonstrated comfortability below. The opposing center, Brook Lopez, is in a deep drop, while Bronny’s defender gets taken up by the screen chasing over.
He’d hit another pull-up three late in the fourth. These are shots he was passing up to start the season. Now, he hunts them — a necessary shift in offensive approach. He missed his first nine shots from three to start the season but has since gone 7-17 (41%).
An additional element that’s improved is his passing. He’s averaged five assists per game with South Bay and collected five against Milwaukee. Bronny has made real strides as a passer off the pick and roll. In the play below, he makes a nice pocket pass in traffic, but Trey Jemison gets stripped and fumbles it away.
Like father like son. Bronny sends a full-court LeBron-esque chest pass to Markieff Morris, shown below.
Bronny showed his improved handle and burst for a few drives, ending with him shooting 7-10 from the floor. It was a balanced scoring night that almost included a Sportscenter highlight on Antetokounmpo before he lost the ball out of bounds. Replays indicate he was fouled on the play.
A breakout offensive game doesn’t answer all the questions surrounding Bronny’s future in the NBA. He makes typical young player defensive mistakes that iron out with discipline and experience. His eagerness to steal or block leads to damaging plays, including a 3-point foul on Gary Trent Jr.
He finished a -36 and had several defensive possessions where he’s clearly not physically there yet, which is okay. Most 20-year-olds aren’t.
However long the road takes for Bronny, the Lakers should be encouraged by his steps taken this year. Shining in the G-League with momentary flashes on the parent team is more than you could ask for any standard No. 55 overall pick.
