The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 11-4 on Tuesday night after defeating the Utah Jazz 140-126, marking the return of LeBron James, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to a sciatica issue stemming from the offseason.
With several days off before their next game on Sunday night, the Lakers made a notable move on Thursday involving second-year guard Bronny James. The young guard has seen a slight increase in minutes and even made his first career start last weekend.
The team announced the decision to send James, along with rookie Adou Thiero, to the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, who play Friday night against the Santa Cruz Warriors.
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This move likely gives younger players, such as Bronny James and Adou Thiero, an opportunity to get extra in-game reps before the pro team returns to action on Sunday.
This season, he has already appeared in 10 of the team’s 15 games but remains limited offensively, averaging 2.1 points, 1.8 assists, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game, while shooting 29.6% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range
James is averaging 11.1 minutes per game, up from just 6.7 per game as a rookie when he appeared in 27 games. He spent most of his rookie year in the G League, where he thrived, averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
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