Bronny James Disappoints Fans in 1st NBA Start as Blazers Rout Lakers with LeBron out

Bronny James earned his first career start in the NBA on Sunday. It didn't exactly go to plan.

The rookie guard finished with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, adding six assists, four steals and three turnovers in the Los Angeles Lakers' 109-81 loss against the Portland Trailblazers.

The Lakers (50-32) had already wrapped up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference heading into Sunday, rendering the regular-season finale a meaningless contest. That cleared the path for a number of reserves to see bigger minutes, and some took full advantage of the opportunity, including first-round pick Dalton Knecht (27 points, eight rebounds, 5-of-12 from three).

James had his moments, but in general it was a disappointing first start from the young guard:

It's been pretty clear from the jump that James—who only had one season of college ball, and a limited one at that after recovering from a cardiac arrest incident in 2023—simply wasn't ready for the NBA game.

While he largely spent the season in the G League or earning paltry minutes off the bench in garbage time, the games where he received a longer look generally weren't great. He did have a 17-point outburst in 30 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20, but that was the only real highlight of his rookie season.

That doesn't mean he can't improve—he's shown the ability to facilitate as a passer and play solid defense. But his perimeter shooting and ability to create his own offense remain major works in progress.

James remained a lightning rod throughout the season, as discourse continued to debate whether he would even be on an NBA team if it weren't for his father, LeBron James. It's fair to say that when given the opportunity to erase that narrative, the younger James rarely did so.