20 Second Timeout

LeBron and Bronny Make History, but Davis Dominates as Lakers Tame Timberwolves

It is not often that a second round draft pick who played three minutes in his NBA debut gets headline treatment--but when that second round draft pick is the son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer, and that duo becomes the first father and son to share playing time on an NBA court then headline treatment is inevitable. The L.A. Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103 in the second game of TNT's 2024 NBA Opening Night doubleheader, but what will be remembered most about this game is that Bronny James played alongside his father LeBron James. Bronny did not score a point, shooting 0-2 from the field with a -5 plus/minus number in just under three minutes of action; his best chance to score came on a drive and kick pass from his father, but Bronny missed an open three pointer.

Bronny was the story of the night, but Anthony Davis was the star of the game with game-high totals in points (36), rebounds (16), and blocked shots (three). Davis' activity level was so high that sometimes it seemed like he was in two places at once. When Davis is healthy and dominant, the Lakers look like a different team. He was the main reason that the Lakers outscored the Timberwolves in the paint, 72-40. For the past several years, we have been subjected to various narratives about the Lakers, including the team supposedly needing "lasers" (outside shooters), Russell Westbrook being demonized and turned into a scapegoat even though intelligent analysts like Hubie Brown praised Westbook, and media members bending over backwards to spin the facts about the team's flaws to preserve access to LeBron James--but we rarely hear the truth told about this team: the Lakers are at their best when Davis and James attack the paint at both ends of the court; that was the recipe for success when the Lakers won the 2020 "bubble title."

The Lakers shot 5-30 (.167) from three point range and James had a quiet game by his lofty standards (16 points, five rebounds, four assists), but the Lakers' paint dominance spearheaded by Davis was the difference. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 27 points, but he shot just 10-25 from the field as the Timberwolves shot 35-85 (.412) from the field overall. Julius Randle, who was acquired from the New York Knicks in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. The Timberwolves used their size to push teams around last season, but in this game the Lakers pushed them around. 

New Lakers Coach J.J. Redick is a "stat guru" at heart, so one of his mantras is that he wants the Lakers to shoot more three pointers than they did last season. If the Lakers follow that prescription then they will not improve their record, but if they play with force in the paint the way that they did versus the Timberwolves then they will be better than than they have been in recent seasons.

TNT's postgame on court interview is usually conducted with the star of the game, but instead of Davis receiving the honor and the attention the spotlight shined on LeBron and Bronny, who comes across as a thoughtful and grounded young man. LeBron James grew up without his biological father, so James' commitment to being a family man is commendable. As a father, I understand how meaningful it must be to him to play in an NBA game alongside his son, and from a human interest standpoint this is a wonderful moment, with the emotional impact heightened by the fact that Bronny has recovered from suffering cardiac arrest on July 24, 2023.

However, from the standpoint of the NBA putting the best possible product on the floor and from the standpoint of the Lakers posing as a team that aspires to win a championship, Bronny's presence on an NBA roster--let alone his appearance in an NBA game--is problematic. Bronny averaged 4.8 ppg on .366 field goal shooting in his only college season; no player with that statistical profile is going to be drafted by an NBA team--unless his father is LeBron James. TNT's Kenny Smith kept emphasizing that Bronny James was a McDonald's All-American in high school, stating that this demonstrates that Bronny earned being a second round draft pick--but being a McDonald's All-American in high school does not always translate into college success, let alone NBA success. It is ridiculous to suggest that any team other than James' Lakers would have drafted Bronny (unless a team thought that drafting Bronny could influence James to leave the Lakers to sign with them).

By not only giving Bronny a roster spot that he did not earn but putting him on the court in a regular season game, the Lakers are demonstrating that they are not serious about winning; they don't have the best 15 player roster that they could have assembled, nor do they have the best 8-10 player rotation that they could have assembled. If the plan is to give Bronny three minutes now and then have him spend the rest of the season in the NBA G League, then essentially this was nothing more than a publicity stunt, and if the plan is to keep giving Bronny a few minutes here and there even though he has not earned those minutes then the other players on the Lakers' roster--and better players than Bronny who are not even in the league--will inevitably become resentful. Bronny is set for life financially regardless of how his playing career goes, but for most NBA prospects the opportunity to earn an NBA roster spot is potentially life-changing. The LeBron-Bronny father-son moment came at the expense of a player whose hard work should have earned him an NBA roster spot. I have heard the argument that nepotism happens in all fields so this is not a big deal, but that is the first time that I have heard the notion that because nepotism is widespread that makes it OK.

Opening Night was a happy story on the surface--the Lakers won, and LeBron James orchestrated the father-son moment that he has talked about for years--but the Lakers' season is unlikely to have a storybook ending. James has taken over the franchise to the extent that the Lakers feel compelled to make decisions that will please James even at the expense of on court success: they hired James' buddy Redick even though Redick has no meaningful coaching experience, and then they gave playing time to a player who is not NBA-caliber at this time. These unprofessional decisions will likely lead to consequences down the line.

Again, as a father I understand why LeBron made this happen--and I wish Bronny all the best in his career and life--but it is naive at best to expect this to end well.

Labels: Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Bronny James, J.J. Redick, Julius Randle, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Minnesota Timberwolves

posted by David Friedman @ 3:19 AM

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