For three straight games, Bronny James has received some minutes at the start of the second quarter for the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
He made them count in Game 3, with some help from his father.
The eldest son of LeBron James scored his first career playoff points with a pull-up 3-pointer and a layup in transition on back-to-back possessions. He got support from his father on both baskets, with LeBron boxing out defender Jae’Sean Tate to give him oxygen for the 3-pointer, then getting the assist on the layup.
The full sequence:
The Jameses were already the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history and in the playoffs. Now they’re the first to connect on an assist in the postseason, which the league’s social media department was very excited about.
Bronny exited the game midway through the second quarter, with five points on 2-of-2 shooting. He also got some fourth-quarter minutes, but didn’t do anything else. His father, meanwhile, made his mark in a comeback overtime win.
Before Friday, Bronny had posted zero points on three shots across 11 minutes in four playoff games.
The 21-year-old guard seems to have benefited from the Lakers’ injury situation, as the absences of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have opened up plenty of playing time down the roster.
Bronny played in 42 NBA games this season, averaging 8.9 minutes per game, and also performed well in 14 G League games with averages of 15.6 points and 3.7 assists. His father insisted he was ready for playoff minutes before the series began, and so far seems to be enjoying the experience.