Bronny James has been heavily scrutinized from the get-go.
The USC product averaged 4.8 points per game on subpar shooting splits with the Trojans in 2023-24 before declaring for the NBA Draft, causing outrage.
Things got even worse when the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick, enabling him to spend the first leg of his NBA career with his father, LeBron.
So far, James hasn’t succeeded in proving that he belongs in the big leagues. The 21-year-old guard has been an inefficient and indecisive contributor with Los Angeles through 1.5 seasons.
However, a wild Bronny James stat posted on X/Twitter exposes two Lakers starters who are ahead of the second-year guard on the depth chart.
“Bronny James is outscoring multiple Lakers starters over the last two games btw,” Real App wrote.
For clarity, the Lakers' starters that Real App is referring to are Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart. In a 129-109 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, LaRavia finished with six points in 27 minutes while Smart recorded two points in 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, James, who only logged eight minutes in the contests, netted eight points off the bench.
In Los Angeles' 142-111 win over the Washington Wizards, LaRavia scored three points in 25 minutes, while Smart contributed three points in 27 minutes.
Once again, James outscored both players, as he finished with four points in four minutes of action. While James’ contributions came during garbage time, it’s worth noting that the former McDonald’s All-American made better use of his minutes than two starters who played over 20 minutes.
James could earn more minutes moving forward if he continues to maximize his playing time.
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