Bronny James stats tonight: How did Lakers rookie fare in official debut alongside father LeBron James?
Bronny James made his anticipated debut next to LeBron James for the LA Lakers on opening night against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. Bronny entered the game in the second quarter with the Lakers up 51-35. LeBron was also on the bench and entered the game with his son.
Bronny played 2:41 minutes and was scoreless on two shot attempts. He had one rebound. Bronny's +/- was -5. He was set up for an open 3 by LeBron on his only 3-point attempt, but the shot rimmed out.
The Lakers reportedly planned to introduce Bronny early into the game. Coach JJ Redick emphasized the process had to be natural. The Lakers were outscored by five points with Bronny on the court, which may have influenced Redick to pull him out early.
Nevertheless, the Lakers finished the first half with a 55-42 lead. Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura were the architects of the excellent first half, combining for 23 points.
Bronny James never entered the game again.
LeBron James and Bronny James finish with worst box +/- scores for LA Lakers in impressive win
LeBron James and Bronny James' historic night finished with the Lakers registering an impressive 110-103 win over Western Conference Finals favorites Timberwolves.
However, Bronny and LeBron would have likely wanted to put up better outings. Bronny finished with a box +/- of -5 and LeBron's was -6, the worst on the Lakers. Max Christie's -5 was tied for the second worst with Bronny.
LeBron, however, did put up 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals on 7 of 16 shots.
LeBron didn't have an efficient outing from the get-go. He struggled with his shot early on. Nevertheless, schematically, he was efficient as a screener. He was engaged defensively, too, ensuring the Lakers kept their lead intact. The four-time MVP deferred to Anthony Davis in this contest as the star center had a memorable opening night.
Davis finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists one steal and three blocks, shooting 47.8%, including 13-of-15 from the free throw line.