The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a dominant win on Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, who were without both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. 

Led by Luka Doncic, L.A. secured a much-needed victory to capture their third straight win and improve to 43-25 on the season, keeping them well within contention for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

However, they had to play again on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Lakers’ coaching and medical staff made a big decision on who would take the court. Not many players were available, paving the way for rookie Bronny James to see significant action off the bench.

With the Lakers missing LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dorian Finney-Smith, James checked in during the first quarter. After scoring early, he took a scary fall over the back of Gary Trent Jr. as he attempted to block a layup.

Luckily, he got back up quickly and finished the quarter with three points and a rebound, as the Lakers trailed 34-19. 

James has had an interesting rookie season, filled with many highs and lows. He’s been the subject of significant scrutiny, which comes with being the son of one of the greatest players of all time. 

While he’s handled it well, he recently opened up about how people view and talk about him. He made it clear that he uses all of it as fuel to keep pushing forward.

“I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a [explicit] robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions,” James said. “But I just take that and use it as fuel.” 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9).

© Candice Ward-Imagn Images

As of late, James has found success playing at the NBA level when given the opportunity, which has come more frequently in the last few weeks due to the injuries the Lakers have dealt with. 

Yet, he’s been exceptional in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 20.6 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.