### Bronny James Shines with 17 Points Despite Lakers' Heavy Loss to Warriors

In the Lakers' final preseason game, Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, delivered his most impressive performance to date, scoring 17 points. James, making his first preseason start, went 7-for-17 from the field and contributed four rebounds, one assist, three steals, and a block. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough to prevent the Lakers from enduring a significant 132-74 defeat against the Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers, missing several key players like LeBron James Sr., Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, relied heavily on rookies and reserves under the guidance of first-time head coach JJ Redick. In contrast, the Warriors, although without star point guard Steph Curry, showcased their depth with all other rotation players seeing court time. The Warriors established an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter and maintained control to secure a dominating victory.

Bronny James had previously struggled offensively in his initial preseason games, averaging only 1.6 points per game on 20% shooting and accumulating more turnovers than field goals, according to StatMuse. However, he appeared more confident this time, hitting his first three-pointer of the preseason and completing an alley-oop dunk off a lob from fellow rookie Quincy Olivari.

James, who was the 55th overall pick in the draft after playing one season at the University of Southern California, expressed his enthusiasm about growing into his role with the Lakers. "If I'm given the opportunity to go out there and play 35 minutes, I'm gonna go out there and play," he said postgame. "So I feel like I was given an amazing opportunity to go and showcase what I can do down the road...it's just a great moment for me."

Coach Redick emphasized the importance of patience and long-term development after the game. "For (James) and all our younger players, all the moments are building blocks," he stated. "Not just the good moments, the bad moments are learning opportunities. I think you have to have a level of patience, a level of optimism. I am very confident in the level of work that our young guys have had. For him, I'm sure it felt good to have 17 points - I'm not even remotely concerned about that. It's not even on my radar. We're trying to help him grow into a great basketball player."

Quincy Olivari led the Lakers with 22 points, while Jonathan Kuminga topped the scoring for the Warriors with 17 points, followed closely by Brandin Podziemski’s 16 points as one of five Warriors to achieve double-digit scores.

The NBA regular season kicks off on October 22, featuring the reigning champion Boston Celtics against the New York Knicks. The Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on opening night. The Golden State Warriors will begin their campaign against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. A highly anticipated regular-season showdown between the Lakers and the Warriors is set for Christmas Day, promising a thrilling clash between these west coast rivals.