Bronny James badly struggled on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. [photo: Imagn]
Bronny James, like in his pro basketball debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, came off the bench two nights later versus the Phoenix Suns.
James Jr. and his father, LeBron James, made history as the first father and son duo to play in the NBA.
The two were on the court to start the second quarter.
James Jr. had a rough start to the game, he missed a 25-footer before committing a turnover.
He was later called for an offensive foul followed by a traveling violation.
The former USC guard went 0-for-1 with three errors in his first four minutes, forcing JJ Redick to replace the rookie with Gabe Vincent with still 7:51 to go in the second quarter.
The Lakers guard has largely struggled since joining the NBA.
He had up-and-down games in the Summer League and hardly made an impact in his debut versus the Timberwolves.
Against the Suns, who had mostly veterans and starters to start the second quarter, he was overwhelmed.
James’ performance was in stark contrast to the Phoenix Suns’ second-rounder Oso Ighodaro.
The backup center had six points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in his first 13 minutes.
James had very little contribution in the LA Lakers 118-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Bronny James stats against Phoenix Suns:
Bronny James showed why JJ Redick wanted him to play more in the G League
The LA Lakers picked Bronny James at No. 55 in the 2024 NBA Draft, a move that hardly surprised basketball fans.
During his introductory press conference, JJ Redick raved about Bronny James’ work ethic.
Redick added, though, the rookie needs time to develop. James Jr.
showed improvements during the Las Vegas Summer League. After struggling in the first four games, he contributed more for the Lakers the rest of the way.
The team, however, announced after the tournament that the guard would spend most of this season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League.
James’ performance against the Phoenix Suns only reinforced the idea that the rookie needs more seasoning.
Although he signed a regular contract, he will work on his game playing for the LA Lakers’ G League affiliate.
