Bryce James Stats Tell Disappointing Arizona Story for LeBron's Son

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TUCSON, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 10: Bryce James #6 of the Arizona Wildcats pressures Max Majerle #7 of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks during the first half of the game at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena on November 10, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Bryce James started again on Tuesday night.

His Arizona Wildcats have played three games, and LeBron’s son has been in the starting lineup for all three.

That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Bryce isn’t having the type of season you might expect from a starter for a top-25 team.

Bryce James Stats

GettyTUCSON, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 10: Lucas Toukam #1 of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks drives to the basket against Bryce James #6 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half of the game at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena on November 10, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Bryce has started all three games but that hasn’t meant big minutes.

On Tuesday, he played just 13 minutes. That tracks with the first two games — Bryce hasn’t even reached 20 minutes out of a 40-minute game yet.

Sure, it’s an improvement on his 2025-26 season, when he redshirted, meaning he didn’t get a single second of action.

But it can be confusing to see him start but then not see Bryce play much after that.

Tuesday night’s matchup was with Northern Arizona, and the Wildcats won 90-59.

In Bryce’s 13 minutes, he had:

3 points
1-3 FG
1-3 3FG
2 assists
2 steals
1 block
1 turnover

The defensive impact is positive.

It’s telling that Bryce only attempted 3-pointers and didn’t get to the foul line. Arizona isn’t asking him to do very much when he’s on the floor.

Arizona improved to 2-1 with the victory, with the other four starters in double figures — led by star Ivan Kharchenkov, who has 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 6-of-9 at the line with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Given the output of the other four starters, Bryce doesn’t feel like he totally fits in.

Why Bryce James Starts

GettyTUCSON, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 10: Lucas Toukam #1 of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks dunks the ball over Motiejus Krivas #13 and Bryce James #6 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half of the game at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena on November 10, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

There are multiple possible explanations for why Bryce James starts for Arizona, but it’s all speculative.

That may have been the plan agreed-to all along — if he redshirted for a year, he’d be a starter this season, but still have to earn more minutes beyond the basic stint to begin the game.

Arizona may also simply like Bryce’s energy level to begin games. His defensive impact stats on Tuesday tell a positive story, and maybe that’s all the Wildcats want in a few minutes out of Bryce.

Regardless, it doesn’t seem like it’s changing. Bryce James is lined up to keep having his name announced as a starter for one of the best teams in the country. And then once the action is rolling, he doesn’t play a huge part.