The Los Angeles Lakers’ current win streak reached four games on Monday following their 123-115 win against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the win was arguably their most impressive of this recent stretch considering who was sidelined. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both ruled out, it was players such as Bronny James who stepped up in a big way during the win against the Blazers.
Just one night after Bronny James put on a defensive clinic during the Lakers win against the Miami Heat, he followed that up with one of his better all-around games against the Blazers. James finished with five points, one rebound, six assists and one steal in 19 minutes of play. He went 1-of-2 from three-point range, knocking down his first long-range attempt of the season. He had missed his two attempts prior from distance this season.
The No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, James has seen an uptick in playing time early in the 2025-26 season, amid injuries to the Lakers’ backcourt. Gabe Vincent is currently out due to an ankle injury, and Marcus Smart recently came back from a quad injury. Smart has moved in the starting lineup in recent games, paving the way for James to be the primary ball-handler off the bench.
Coming into Monday’s game, James had appeared in four games for the Lakers, at a little over 11 minutes per game. He had been averaging 1.3 assist and 1.0 steals. Against the Heat on Sunday, James had one of the game’s biggest highlights, throwing down a dunk off a lob pass from Reaves.
Last year, James spent most of his rookie season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. He shook off a slow start and by midseason he was looking much more comfortable on a pro court. His rookie season culminated with a career-high 17 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in late March.
While the Lakers work to get healthy, it’s likely James continues to see an increase in opportunity on the court.
