The Los Angeles Lakers played Chris Manon, a two-way player, over Bronny James in their preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. To make matters worse, James had a disastrous fourth quarter as the purple and gold blew the lead. Bronny has struggled offensively all preseason, and Tuesday’s performance leaves fans wondering whether he survives the impending roster cuts.
The game in Las Vegas was a new low. Bronny missed his only two field goal attempts. The only positive stats he recorded in nine minutes of action were one rebound and one steal. He had four turnovers as the Lakers were outscored by 18 points with him on the floor. His struggles playing point guard are well-documented, but this was arguably the worst performance of his young career.
James has gotten extended run this preseason, with Collin Sexton yet to play because of a leg injury. It was the 22-year-old’s shot to crack the nightly rotation, but he was shooting just 30.8 percent coming into Tuesday’s disaster. Bronny’s play had been a rollercoaster, and Tuesday’s awful performance may put him in consideration for getting axed.
Bronny James played behind a two-way guard
The Lakers have 16 guaranteed contracts and must trim their standard roster to 15 players before the start of the regular season. James, Jaden Hardy, and Dalton Knecht entered training camp in a competition for the final roster spots. It appeared James had a firm lead over both players before Tuesday night.
Chris Manon was the first guard off the bench against the Warriors. The defensive specialist is on a two-way contract for the second straight year. He played in just nine games with the Lakers last season and got most of his run in the G League.
Head coach JJ Redick also used Hardy over Bronny in Vegas. Both were changes from the first three preseason contests. Bronny started in the first meeting against Golden State and was the backup point guard in both contests against the Sacramento Kings. Hardy had ten points against the Dubs on Tuesday night, but was far from impressive.
Dalton Knecht is still the favorite to get cut, but Bronny has to be in consideration after Tuesday’s disaster.
Bronny James doesn’t have an offensive position
James wants to be a point guard, but that isn’t his ideal position. The four turnovers to zero assists in Las Vegas were a low point as to why. It wasn’t like Bronny was playing against the NBA All-Star squad. This was in the fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason contest. Nobody on the floor is expected to be in their team’s rotation this season.
The 6’2 guard is best in an off-ball role, but only if he’s making shots. Bronny shot 38.6 percent from 3-point range in the NBA last season and was over 37 percent in the G League. It was a massive step forward and gave fans faith he could be more of a 3-and-D guard. James is one-for-seven from long range this preseason. He can’t buy a bucket and looks lost offensively.
It is hard to put Bronny on the floor if he is going to be a negative offensively. Look no further than Jarred Vanderbilt. Vando is a much better defender than James, and he is glued to the bench most nights. It is hard to play someone who is a zero on either end of the floor.
Pressure mounts on Bronny James to prove himself
It is now or never for Bronny. The Lakers have one preseason game left, and it just became massive for James. He is coming off his worst game and was just passed in the rotation by a two-way player and one of the men he is directly competing with in the race to make Los Angeles’ roster. Bronny must bounce back.
Even if he makes the roster, James looks to be glued to the bench. The Lakers want to chase a championship. They can’t afford to play a 22-year-old who isn’t making shots in an off-ball role. James got additional opportunity this preseason with Sexton out and has squandered it. Things looked bad before Tuesday night and quickly dipped into disaster territory.
Bronny James played ahead of Manon and Hardy in the first three preseason games. The Lakers were without Luka, Sexton, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, and Cameron Carr against the Warriors. Coach Redick may have just wanted to change things up and get longer looks at lesser players. Even if that was the case, Bronny did himself zero favors by going scoreless with zero assists and four turnovers as the Lakers blew the game.
The pressure is on Bronny James to bounce back. The Los Angeles Lakers have to cut at least one guaranteed contract before opening night, and James put himself back in that conversation with a nightmare performance against the Warriors. Even if he makes the roster, James must keep improving to stick long-term. This preseason game didn’t help. Bronny reached a new low, and all he can do is play better in the preseason finale. If not, a difficult decision for the Lakers gets even harder.
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