Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers had a rough preseason debut without stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. As a team, Los Angeles shot 31.1% from the field and 17.1% from 3-point range in a 103-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Bronny James, in particular, shot 1-of-12 from the field and 1-of-8 from behind the arc.
“I felt like they were pretty good shots there,” James said after the game, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “I didn't rush, I wasn't forcing anything. I didn't have my legs under me as much as I wanted to, so a lot of them were short. But most of them were on line and I felt like I could've made them, so I think I took some good shots.”
The season debut mirrored James's preseason performances from a season ago. In his first four preseason games, he shot 2-of-16 from the field, scoring just four points. It was in the preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors when James displayed his full potential. In 35 minutes, he scored 17 points to go with four rebounds and three steals.
This year's preseason debut showed some rust from the offseason, as was the case with many of the Lakers. Fellow sophomore Dalton Knecht also struggled, shooting 2-of-10 from the field and just 1-of-7 from behind the arc. Expected starters Rui Hacimura and Deandre Ayton played minimal roles in the loss, but also were inefficient from the field.
But for James, preseason is an opportunity to prove his value to head coach JJ Redick. Currently, he is slotted behind five guards on the Lakers depth chart, including expected reserves Gave Vincent, Marcus Smart and Knecht.
With the Lakers' backcourt already plentiful, and a roster clearly built to compete for a championship, James may struggle finding the floor for Los Angeles this season. He will try to bounce back when the Lakers play next on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors.