By Alex KirschenbaumShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Los Angeles Lakers are off to a fast 11-4 start, although their success has been largely achieved without contributions from LeBron or Bronny James.
LeBron James, the 21-time All-NBA superstar power forward, missed LA's first 14 contests with a sciatica injury affecting his right side and lower back. He returned at last on Tuesday, in a 140-126 victory against the Utah Jazz. James, 40, didn't shoot much, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, dished out 12 assists, grabbed three rebounds, and swiped a steal.
More news: LeBron James Could Make Season Debut on One of Three Dates
Bronny James, LeBron's 21-year-old son and second-year teammate out of USC, has yet to consistently crack head coach JJ Redick's rotation — although, thanks to injury issues, the 6-foot-2 guard has been pressed into service on occasion, beyond just his mop-up minutes in blowouts.
Through 10 games with LA proper, Bronny James has been averaging 2.1 points on .296/.273/1.000 shooting splits, 1.8 assists, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 steals.
...James was recently assigned to the Lakers' G League affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers, to get more in-game reps. He made his South Bay debut on Friday, in a 115-95 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors, NBAGL affiliate to the Golden State Warriors. South Bay improved to a 4-1 regular season record.
In that first game, Bronny James scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 shooting from the foul line, grabbed eight assists, dished out four rebounds, swiped three steals and blocked one shot.
The younger James appears to be gearing up for his NBA tenure, even with South Bay.
He told gathered reporters at UCLA Health Training Center that he and Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick were looking to prepare him for his role on the Lakers proper, where he will mostly be utilized off the ball.
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“I'm trying to focus now on bettering myself off the ball," James said. "Me and JJ have talked about all the ball handlers on the parent team, so I have to learn how to be effective off the ball. Have a .5 mentality."
More news: Lakers Roster Faces One Major Red Flag They Must Fix Soon
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