The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a win on Sunday night against the Miami Heat, 130-120.
While Luka Doncic's triple-double and Austin Reaves' 26-point outing were the main highlights of the Lakers' win, an unexpected contributor played some big minutes down the stretch and helped seal a Los Angeles victory.
Bronny James, son of LeBron, subbed in at the 7:32 mark in the fourth quarter and stayed in until the final minute of action.
JJ Redick reveals why he played Bronny James in pivotal minutes
"I thought he was really good on the ball. He got a steal off the ball, but I thought he was good on the ball," Lakers head coach JJ Redick told Basketnews.com after the game.
"Now I’ve seen it twice over the last week or so — he was really just a force in terms of containment and physicality. Then he made arguably the play of the game: when Luka was double-teamed, he was the next guy, drove the closeout, got to the paint, read the defense, and ended up getting his teammate a wide-open three."
James' stats don't jump out on the page, but his two points, two assists, and three steals in 18 total minutes were crucial in the Lakers' victory.
Los Angeles was short-staffed last night, missing LeBron and starting center DeAndre Ayton. When they needed him most, Bronny stepped up to the plate and delivered a performance that the Lakers desperately needed.
It remains unclear if he's carved out a more prominent role for himself in the Lakers ' lineup, but with how Redick praised him after the game, we may be seeing more of Bronny as his sophomore season progresses.
More Lakers news:
- How under-the-radar offseason addition has fit 'seamlessly' with Lakers
- LeBron James gets injury timeline update from Lakers insider
- Lakers' Luka Doncic downplays groin injury after Warriors loss
- JJ Redick rips Lakers after 'terrible' outing against Warriors
- Lakers' Austin Reaves turns heads with LeBron James retirement comment
- 3-time NBA champion Ex-Lakers guard shares bold LeBron James retirement prediction