Bronny James' services were needed at the NBA level on Friday night with the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Denver Nuggets. With the Lakers' injured list growing by the day, James was not only kept on the NBA roster, he played significant minutes against the Nuggets.
James played a season-high 16 minutes, finishing with five points, two rebounds, and one steal. The Lakers lost to the Nuggets 131-126 while LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, and Dorian Finney-Smith all watched from the sidelines.
Friday's action against the Nuggets was one of James' better scoring performances at the NBA level. The highlight of James' night was hitting a corner three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Nikola Jokic in the first quarter. Following the game, James spoke to reporters and gave an honest assessment of his own play during his rookie season.
Bronny James speaks on his development this year: "Putting in work behind the scenes, it's just been very good for me … I can see improvement and it's been going well for me" pic.twitter.com/7NOF5Sbw1S
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 15, 2025
"I'm just putting in the work behind the scenes, I feel like has been really good for me. I worked all Summer before the draft, and I'm still working right now, so I can see improvement and it's been going well for me," James said.
After being selected No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA draft by the Lakers, James has split his rookie season between the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. He's played sparingly with the Lakers, appearing in 19 games in the NBA. James is averaging just 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game in 4.8 minutes per game.
The Lakers return home following a winless, four-game road trip to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The world will await the announcement on whether James will stick with the Lakers or head back to the G League. Given the number of injuries the Lakers are still dealing with, James' talents may be best taken to Los Angeles.
Related: Gilbert Arenas Makes Bold Bronny James Rookie of the Year Claim
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This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:19 PM.