CNN
—

Bronny James, son of NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, had the best performance of his young professional career on Friday, scoring 17 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final preseason game.

In his first preseason start, James went 7-for-17 from the field and also recorded four rebounds, one assist, three steals and a block. However, the diminutive Lakers – who opted to rest several key players, including James Sr. – suffered a tough 132-74 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Multiple All-Star Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were among the players who did not perform when first-time head coach JJ Redick handed the keys to reserves and rookies. The Warriors, meanwhile, were without star point guard Steph Curry, but coach Steve Kerr gave playing time to all of his other rotation players.

Experience proved the difference as Golden State opened an 18-point lead near the end of the first quarter and never looked back, beating its Western Conference rival by nearly 60 points.

Despite impressing on the defensive side of the ball, James had struggled offensively prior to Friday’s game, averaging just 1.6 points per game, including 20% ​​through his first five preseason games . According to StatMuse, he had more turnovers than field goals in those games.

However, the 20-year-old showed signs of promise in his most confident performance yet. He made his first 3-pointer of the preseason and threw down a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk on a lob from fellow rookie Quincy Olivari.

James — who was drafted 55th overall earlier this year after one season at the University of Southern California — said he was focused on finding and understanding his role on the team, though he embraced the opportunity to take on more responsibility in the setup.

“If I get a chance to play there for 35 minutes, I’ll go there and play,” he told reporters after the match. “So I feel like I’ve been given a great opportunity to show what I can do along the way… it’s just a great moment for me.”

Redick made sure to keep his focus on the bigger picture after the game.

“For (James) and all our younger players, all moments are building blocks,” he said. “Not only the good moments, but also the bad moments are learning opportunities. I think you have to have a certain amount of patience, a certain amount of optimism. I have a lot of confidence in the level of work our young boys have put in.

“For him, I’m sure it felt good to have 17 points – I’m not even worried about that. It’s not even on my radar. We are trying to help him grow into a great basketball player.”

Olivari scored 22 points for LA, while Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 17 points. Brandin Podziemski added 16 and was one of five other players to post double-digit point totals in a balanced scoring night for the Warriors.

The 2024-25 NBA regular season kicks off on Tuesday, October 22, with the reigning champion Boston Celtics hosting the new-look New York Knicks in the first game of the campaign. The Lakers will also be in action on opening night and will be visited by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State opens its season on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The first regular-season clash between the Lakers and Warriors will be huge: the West Coast rivals will face off in a primetime game on Christmas Day.