Day by day, step by step, Bronny James looks to be improving incrementally.
After a solid 12-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the Lakers rookie followed it up with another step in the right direction in a 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Not only did the 19-year-old put up a new career-high of 13 points, but also included in that number is a clutch three-pointer that helped the Lakers come from behind in the dying minutes for their second-straight victory.
After hitting the first two three-pointers of his young career on Wednesday, he showed some extra sauce on this make, hitting his defender Emoni Bates with a clean step-back to create space for the look.
He finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep, as well as five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 29 minutes.
What may have made it extra special was that it came against the Cavaliers, a team that is, of course, best known for the years when it was spearheaded by his father, LeBron James.
Bronny was drafted with the 55th pick in this year’s NBA Draft and before the last two games had struggled to start his career, averaging 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists on a brutal 22.5 per cent from the field in the team’s first four outings.
Fellow rookie and 17th overall pick Dalton Knecht was also a big contributor for the Lakers on Thursday, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-16 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range while tacking on seven rebounds.
For the Cavaliers, 20th overall pick Jaylon Tyson led the way with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in a near triple-double performance despite the loss.