SAN FRANCISCO -- While the Los Angeles Lakers rested their starters and fell 132-74 to the Golden State Warriors in their season finale on Friday, rookie guard Bronny James finished the season with some personal improvements.
Bronny, the eldest son of LeBron James and selected by LA with the No. 55 overall pick, started against the Warriors and scored 17 points in 35 minutes on 7-17 shooting, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.
"It's just a great feeling to go out there and not think as much as I do and just play," Bronny said after the game.
The 20-year-old struggled mightily in the first five games of the preseason, scoring a total of 8 points on 4-for-20 shooting (0-for-7 from 3) and 5 misses.
Friday was different. Bronny made his first shot less than a minute after kickoff with a layup while avoiding contact with the rim. He also finally hit a three-pointer, beating the shot clock with a 28-foot jump shot from above the arc in the second quarter.
Lakers coach JJ Redick called it another step in the development of the young player, whom LA signed to a four-year, $7.9 million contract last season.
I think for him and all of our younger players, all moments are building blocks," Redick said. "Not just the good moments. The bad moments are learning opportunities too. I think you have to have a certain level of patience and optimism. I'm very confident in the level of work our young guys are putting out.
"I think for him, it was a good feeling, for sure, to score 17 points. ... I'm not even remotely worried about it. It's not even on my radar. We're trying to help him develop into a great basketball player."
Bronny's preseason performances mirror his summer league performances at the California Classic and in Las Vegas, where he suffered some early setbacks before scoring in double figures in the final two games and helping L.A. to two wins.
"That gives me a little bit of confidence to go into the season, even though I might not be on the roster, I might not be playing, but I'm going into practice and maybe the G-League games with the confidence that I can go out there and play my game," Bronny said. "I think that's the biggest part of it."
The Lakers' other bright spot in the lopsided loss was rookie Quincy Olivari, an Exhibit 10 player who led L.A. with 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting (5-for-9 from 3) and 7 rebounds.
Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was taken out of the game with a sprained finger, spent time with Bronny and Olivari afterward.
Olivari showed Curry a video of himself getting an autograph from the sharpshooter as a child while attending a Warrior's road game against the Atlanta Hawks. Curry gave him a pair of his sneakers, which he also signed.
"I always slept under that jersey," Olivari said, fighting back tears as he told reporters the story. "I wanted so much to be like him. To meet him, respect him and talk to him - he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them. That meant a lot to me."
Olivari's contract with Exhibit 10 allows L.A. to retain his rights to their G League team, the South Bay Lakers. The Lakers could also give up one of their three two-way players to eventually bring him to their NBA team. Currently, however, those spots are filled with big players who serve as insurance behind Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes since Christian Wood is injured early in the season.
"I just want a job in the NBA," Olivari said. "That's the only thing I've wanted since I was five years old, and my dad always said my greatest gift is my energy. You can't create energy or destroy it, you can only transmit it. So I bring energy to any team that wants me, and I move any group forward."
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