Lakers' Bronny James put up surprisingly big stats with dad LeBron out injured

At this point in his NBA career, all Bronny James can do is try and make the most of his opportunity.

That's what he did on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs in a game the Los Angeles Lakers were without LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart.

That resulted in 25 minutes for Bronny, and he finished with a decent set of stats:

• 12 points
• 6 assists
• 3 rebounds
• 1 block
• 5-10 FG
• 2-2 3FG

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The highlight of Bronny's night came when he blocked a shot at one end, led a semi-transition opportunity at the other and eventually drilled a stepback 3-pointer.

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The 2-for-2 night from 3-point range actually raised Bronny's 3-point shooting percentage this season to 42%. That's a make-or-break skill for him in the NBA. If he proves to be an improved outside shooter, it'll be big for his chances as his career goes along.

This also tied his career-high with the six assists. It's the third time he's reached that mark in an NBA game. Again, that's something that Bronny needs to continue to show he can do.

He's not a big guard, so Bronny has to bring some combination of handles, distribution, shooting and defense to earn playing time. He's certainly taking steps in the right direction.

The performance came on a rough night for the Lakers when they got absolutely overwhelmed by Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, but that's what they had to expect when they sat out their three best players.

At least Bronny was a bit of a bright spot, and he'll try to parlay this performance into more opportunities.

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