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Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the NBA’s hottest teams, without LeBron James in the lineup. Behind superstar Luka Doncic and contributors Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, the team has moved to 7-2 and is second in the Western Conference standings. Despite ongoing criticism against him being part of the roster, sophomore reserve player Bronny James is also getting some time on the court. The son of King James has yet to put on a major scoring performance, but has shown flashes of improvement and at least one highlight alley-oop. In his team’s recent win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Bronny scored five points and matched his career-high six assists. He had three steals and two assists in the team’s previous win against the Miami Heat. In both games, he played 18 minutes or more because he needed to play more amid teammates’ injuries. Read more: LeBron James Gets Major Warning About Lakers Return From Popular Analyst PORTLAND, OREGON – NOVEMBER 03: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on November 03, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Ahead of his team’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, Bronny spoke about his improved playmaking and his efforts to find his role on the team this season. “First, I think it’s just finding a role, especially with that Heat game. Luke was with us at first, just trying to play off him. Then we were down some bodies in Portland, so I’m just trying to be aggressive and you know playmake myself. Just trying to be aggressive and play the right way,” he told The Athletic’s Law Murray. When asked who has helped him the most this season to “be the best version of himself” with the team, Bronny credited his coach, JJ Reddick. “I’d say JJ helps me a lot just by believing in me and putting me in the game and trusting me with the ball in my hands, and also my skill development coach, Ty [Abbott], he helps me with my decision making,” Bronny said. Asked Bronny James about his playmaking over the last week, which peaked Monday with a career best six assists without a turnover at Portland"Just trying to be aggressive, and play the right way" pic.twitter.com/6WWNXNHYUd— Law Murray ⛲️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 8, 2025 Much criticism was directed at LeBron’s son upon his entry into the NBA, as the Lakers acquired him to have the father-son duo on their roster. They made history last season as the first father-and-son duo to play in an NBA game simultaneously for the same team. LeBron has achieved many other historic feats during his career and hopes his son will carry on that tradition. It’s still early in his career, and while he’s yet to show the same quick rise to stardom as his father did, his steady improvements may be the early building blocks in a successful basketball career. Read more: Rockets’ Kevin Durant Taunts Ja Morant’s Dad Amid Grizzlies Trade Rumors For more about the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
