JJ Redick breaks down decision to play LeBron James and Bronny James together in 2nd quarter
JJ Redick helped history unfold in the second quarter of the Phoenix Suns-LA Lakers game when he let LeBron James and Bronny James play together. The team-up was the first time in NBA history a father and son played in the same game, let alone as teammates. The fans erupted in cheers when James Jr. joined his father on the court.
After the game, Redick was asked about his decision to play the Jameses together, and he said he wanted the two to share the court to help them get into the rhythm of the game.
“In terms of the why? I just wanna give them the chance to play together in the preseason and get them in the flow of the game. How we did our substitution patterns in Game 1, that’s the right time to do it.”
The first-time head coach added:
“I thought the stretch was okay in terms of our team. That was during a stretch where we had some issues without transition defense just getting matched but I liked what I saw throughout the first half from all the groups we tried.
The LA Lakers led 34-25 leading into the second quarter. In Bronny James’ first four minutes, he missed a 3-pointer, made a bad pass and committed an offensive foul before the rookie was called for a traveling violation. JJ Redick removed LeBron James’ son for Gabe Vincent with 7:51 to go in the second period as the Suns narrowed LA’s lead to 39-34.
LeBron James and Bronny James had opposing impacts in the Lakers-Suns game
In his first preseason game, LeBron James was arguably the best player on the court. He finished with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Despite being the oldest player on the court by a wide margin, the four-time MVP showcased he still has a lot of gas in the tank.
In 16 minutes of play, LeBron recorded a plus-minus rating of plus-nine.
Meanwhile, Bronny James had a disastrous night on his 20th birthday. In 13 minutes, he had two rebounds and four turnovers for a minus-16 rating. The rookie showed hustle and tenacity on defense but was erratic on offense against the Suns’ starters and veterans.