Bronny Impressive Against LeBron Rival in G League Showdown

Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James held his ground against Isaiah Thomas, a former teammate and rival of his father LeBron James, in their G League showdown.

Thomas scored a game-high 29 points to go along with one rebound, eight assists, two steals and one block to lead Salt Lake City Stars past the South Bay Lakers 123-114 but not without a fight from Bronny’s team.

Bronny finished with 16 points, six rebounds, a season-high eight assists and one steal. It was his seventh double-digit scoring in the G League.

Bronny’s final basket of the game kept South Bay within a striking distance 100-105 but Thomas answered with a free throw and a 3-pointer that padded Salt Lake City’s lead.

South Bay could only come closer to within four, 112-108 on Sir’Jabari Rice’s 3-point play, the rest of the way.

Thomas, a 12-year NBA veteran, battled with Bronny’s father in the playoffs when he was still with the Boston Celtics and LeBron with his hometown team Cleveland Cavaliers. They later became teammates in Cleveland during LeBron’s final season there in 2018 and twice with the Lakers.

The 36-year-old Thomas is hoping to get back to the NBA through his G League stint.

On the other hand, the 20-year-old Bronny continued with his development in the G League in the hopes of cracking the Lakers rotation by next season. Pitted against the veteran Thomas, Bronny showed off his rapid development especially in reading the game as he organized South Bay’s offense and set up his teammates.

But the inside-outside tandem of Thomas and Utah Jazz’s two-way center Oscar Tshiebwe was just too much to overcome. Tshiebwe, the former Kentucky star, finished with a monster double-double of 23 points and 18 rebounds to complement Thomas’ performance.

Bronny’s Growing Confidence

Before Bronny showcased his playmaking chops against Thomas on the road, he touted his growing confidence as a three-level scorer after their last game — a 118-98 win over Valley Suns on Feb. 22 at home.

“I feel like I can score it on all three levels,” Bronny told Clutchpoint’s Raj Chipalu after scoring 24 points, his fourth 20-point game in the G League. “I’m just taking everything that’s open for me.”

The Lakers’ 55th overall pick is now averaging 21.9 points on 39.3% 3-point shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals through seven games in the G League regular season.

“Mainly trying to get downhill and get to the paint, draw some fouls,” Bronny explained. “I can open up my jump shot and just take what the defense gives me. I wasn’t able to get all the way to the paint sometimes, so I gotta settle for the [midrange].”

South Bay has a 3-4 record when Bronny is on assignment. They are 3-11 without him.

Learning From The Best

The rise in Bronny’s confidence comes with practice and more reps in the G League. But the foundation of it comes from learning from two of the greatest players in the game — his father, LeBron James, and their new Lakers teammate, Luka Doncic.

In the few games and practices he’s had Doncic, Bronny had already picked up some stuff that he’s been trying to incorporate into his game.

“Just his patience and being able to be, like, unpredictable,” Bronny told Chipalu. “That’s the thing I’ve watched the most about him. You never know what he’s going to do. I think that’s the best thing I’ve seen so far from him. I keep trying to pick up stuff from him.”

LeBron, who at 40 is still in the MVP conversations in the league, is also setting example for Bronny when it comes to work ethics and the right approach to the game.

“It’s the love of the game and also [to] have the opportunity now to be able to show my son … how to be a professional and what this league is all about and to be along him every single day, that’s a treat,” James told reporters after a historic second 40-point game since turning 40 on their Feb. 2o win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron would rather let his game and off-court habits do the talking.

“As parents, you say all these things and sometimes it can become annoying to your kids,” James told reporters. “I’m still going to give him words of advice but also show him by example.”

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