Bronnie James had a forgotten night in the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason opening game against the Phoenix Suns.
James scored eight points in 24 minutes, shooting 1-12 from the field, 3-1-8 on a cold ice shooting night. He played second in the team for a few minutes in an 81-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns of the Los Angeles Lakers.
He is entering his second NBA season and in the absence of LeBron James and Lukadon Sic for this preseason game, this was an important opportunity to show manager JJ Redick the improvements James made in the offseason.
Unfortunately, he didn’t take that chance, and James looked back at his performance after the match.
It was a difficult night for James, who lost the Lakers to the Sun. He had an open look all night long and kept firing from deep, but last year’s second round pick couldn’t buy a bucket.
Speaking to reporters after the game, he looked back on his shot choices after missing 11 of his 12 attempts.
He said, “I felt they were pretty good shots. I wasn’t in a hurry, I didn’t force anything. I didn’t have my feet below me as much as I’d liked.
“Most of them were in line and I felt like I could make them. I think I’ve taken some good shots.”
Ironically, the only field goal James made was a pick-and-roll stepback three, perhaps his toughest night attempt. He showed resilience to continue shooting, staying offensively from start to finish, turning 5-6 from the foul line.
However, James was a 3-point shooter with 28.1% in his rookie season. There’s no reason he’ll shoot 12 threes. He’s there, running down the floor, husting defenses, and getting the ball to the Lakers scorer.
More concern than James’ shooting was his comment that his feet were not under him. Especially when Redick said his team was behind the Suns in preparation for the offseason.
If James means he’s not in the form of play yet, that’s not ideal. He is a second year player aiming to earn a few minutes with his team. He had to enter the preseason ready. He does not have the luxury of turning himself into shape.
But what concerns Lakers fans are Reddick’s comments about his team’s preparation for the season. After the game he said: “It’s real, and this is no excuse. It’s literally real (Suns) had 19 guys in the gym during September.
“They did the installation in the same way they did last year. They’re ahead of us in that respect.”
After trading with Doncic last season, the Lakers had to change plans to suit the new first-class guy. That was a challenge for Redick as Donsic played for Slovenia in Eurobasket for much of the summer.
The Lakers head coach had to set up plans without players, focusing on being in the gym. It’s a recipe for some growing pains when he finally returns to his purple and gold coat.