It is always nice to kick things off with a good-old fashion 20-plus-point win. The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, defeating their in-state rivals 127-103 in a game that featured numerous storylines.
There were plenty of positives to take away from the win. From the strong performances by newcomer Ziaire Williams and rookie Cameron Carr to Luka Doncic looking like he hasn’t missed a beat despite the longest offseason in years.
The Lakers racked up numerous assists and sank a bunch of 3-pointers. Outside of Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler sitting out Monday, there was very little not to like about the new-look Lakers. And then there was Bronny James‘ performance, which appeared rather unimpressive — but only for the classic box score watchers.
Lakers Guard Lands Strong Assessment in First Game of Season
No one expected James — or anyone on the team — to fire off a few dozen points and break records in the first preseason game. After all, it is just preseason. The Lakers have a few more tune-up games to evaluate where their roster stands entering the regular season. Despite all the chatter surrounding James’ Lakers future, he survived a loud offseason and demonstrated how he can impact both sides of the ball in the Lakers’ 24-point victory.
“Bronny James, on the other hand, saw the court in the second half,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek. “The third-year playmaker has never been more than a secondary playmaker off the bench for Los Angeles, so it came as no surprise head coach JJ Redick gave him an opportunity to make an impact in the preseason.”
James finished the game with just three points in 16 minutes, but he added five rebounds, two assists and a steal, finishing with a +7 plus-minus.
“While the USC product certainly didn’t take over as a scorer, he impacted the game in other ways by crashing the boards and dishing out multiple assists,” Polacek added. “He also hit from three-point range. That three-point shooting will be important if he is going to earn playing time this season, as the defensive attention Dončić draws should create a number of open looks.”
Preseason a Big Opportunity for James
James may be one of the Lakers’ longest-tenured players, something he could only smile about the other day, but he is still facing an uphill battle when it comes to securing a spot in the rotation.
With all the offseason additions, the Lakers are loaded with talent from top to bottom. James will be competing with rookie Cameron Carr, Adou Theiro, Jaden Hardy and others for consistent playing time.
This preseason will showcase which players have the leg up. James didn’t load up the box score last night, but he continues to show confidence on both ends of the court and someone who can be a dependable, short-burst rotation player.
Most importantly, the Lakers won in dominant fashion while enjoying themselves, as Doncic put it after the game.
“We all had fun out there,” Doncic said postgame, according to Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the L.A. Times. “Especially with Matisse (Thybulle) and Ziaire (Williams), just that beginning of the game, the start, that’s contagious for everybody, and how they start the game, it was inspirational.”
Lakers Bronny James Gets Major Verdict After 3-Point Performance Versus Kings