Anthony Davis Praises 'Tough' Bronny James After Historic Lakers Game with LeBron

LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, became the first father-son duo to ever play together in an NBA game during Sunday's 118-114 preseason loss against the Phoenix Suns.

After the contest, Anthony Davis praised the younger James.

"He's tough," he told reporters. "Obviously, he's defensive-minded. Some great blocks, Game 1. The physicality. He gets over on screens, good with his hands as far as deflection and steals. But he's also still learning. He's still trying to figure everything out, so we have to realize that. He's still a rookie—and this is a different style of basketball in the league. But I like what I'm seeing from him, on both ends of the floor, especially defensively."

It was a special moment for the elder James.

"For a father, it means everything," he told reporters. "For someone who didn't have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence on your son. Be able to have moments with your son. And ultimately, to be able to work with your son. I think that's one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for."

The 20-year-old Bronny didn't make much of a statistical splash, with no points and four turnovers. It's unlikely the second-round pick will share the floor much with his father this season, as he'll likely be buried at the end of the Lakers' bench. Such is the life for second-round rookies, though the youngster has impressed the coaching staff thus far.

"As a coaching staff, before the game, as we were kind of going over our rotation matrix, we were talking about Bronny, and he's had some really good days in August and September," new head coach J.J. Redick told reporters before the team's first preseason game last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves. "He's had three really good days this week. We're really happy with his progress."

When he does see playing time this season, it will likely be on the basis of his defense, which is far ahead of his offensive game at this point. In two preseason games thus far, Bronny has scored just two points.

"He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender," Redick told reporters last week. "That manifested itself. On the offensive end, he's still figuring out who he is. That's our job as a player development program just to build him in."