Bronny James didn’t have the best of games when the USC Trojans defeated the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. In fact, it’s his lowest-scoring game since making his debut for the team following his health scare.
Despite that though, it didn’t stop his teammate and coach from heaping praise on the youngster and how much impact he brings whenever he’s on the court.
The eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James scored just two points in the game, shooting 0-of-4 from the field. He did have two rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes of action, but those numbers are far from what he has done in his previous two outings–during which he scored 15 (against Oregon State) and 10 (against Cal).
USC didn’t have a hard time against Stanford despite that, as they overwhelmed the Cardinal en route to the 93-79 win. NBA Draft lottery prospect Isaiah Collier led the team with 26 points, while Boogie Ellis had 22. Kobe Johnson chipped in 21 as they made easy work of Jerod Haase’s men from start to finish.
While Bronny James doesn’t have a lot to remember from the rough outing he had, USC Trojans head coach Andy Enfield has other thoughts. The veteran tactician loved what he saw from James in the game, which he thinks is a positive step in the right direction.
“He keeps improving. I thought he missed a couple of easy shots tonight, missed some free throws, which is OK, everybody does that. But he took the right shots, he played outstanding defense and he’s a big part of our team,” Enfield said, via ESPN.
Ellis also shared an interesting and rather eye-opening take on Bronny’s performance, noting that his infectious energy and attitude on the court has always been a good influence to the team–regardless if he produces stats or not.
“He makes winning plays. It is great to have him on the floor. Whenever he’s in the game, he plays hard. We know we’re going to get that from him, so it’s just great to have somebody that sparks us coming off the bench and giving us great minutes, energy and impacting the game even when he’s not scoring,” Ellis added.
It is only James’ seventh game of the season for the Trojans, so he definitely has plenty of chances to grow. Bad night happen to everyone, and what important is how one bounces back from it. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like it will be an issue for Bronny.
With the confidence he plays with and the support he has at USC, the youngster can only focus on his growth and taking it one step at a time.
LeBron James Watches Bronny James in USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Game
Every USC Trojans game gets a lot of attention, thanks to the popularity of Bronny James. Saturday’s showdown was extra special, though, as his dad LeBron James attended the event.
LeBron–who went viral on Friday after claiming that his son Bronny could play for the Lakers right now amid their struggles–pulled up with his wife Savannah and good friend Rich Paul at Galen Center in Los Angeles to watch and show their support for the young James.
Sure enough, the rest of the Trojans team enjoyed it as well.
Celebrating with the squad >>> pic.twitter.com/hrwVS0nKcv
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 6, 2024
LeBron pulled up to support Bronny 🔥
(via @FredoCervantes)
pic.twitter.com/3GnTvc3FHm— Hoops Nation (@_HoopsNation) January 6, 2024
It’s definitely tough for Bronny not to be able to show his best while his family is watching. But LeBron has always been supportive of him, and sure enough, he’ll have more chances to do so. For now, he can focus on working on his game and getting back to 100 percent health.
For More Great Basketball Content
Follow me on Twitter at @BeatKit22 and follow us @HardwoodHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional sports, click here!