Bronny James overshadows 'LeBron James replacement' Ben Simmons in key career stat

LA Lakers rookie guard Bronny James delivered his top performance to date during Thursday's 118-89 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. In doing so, he surpassed LA Clippers veteran point guard Ben Simmons — once hailed as the NBA's next big thing — in a major career statistic.

James, LA's 55th pick from last year's NBA draft, tallied a career-high 17 points, three rebounds, five assists and two 3-pointers, shooting 7-for-10 (70.0%).

Late in the second quarter, the oft-scrutinized son of Lakers superstar forward LeBron James drilled his sixth career 3.

With the milestone, Bronny surpassed Simmons' career triple mark of five, with the stat going viral on X/Twitter.

The three-time All-Star, drafted No. 1 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 draft, was once viewed as potentially the NBA's next great versatile playmaker.

In 2018, FS1's Colin Cowherd claimed that Simmons would make LeBron expendable.

"For the first time in 10 to 12 years, I look at the NBA, which I've watched for four decades, and I say this now with Ben Simmons, 'Hey, LeBron, we're good, bro. You can go,'" Cowherd said. "'You don't have to. You can hang around. Still great, but you can go. We're all good here.'"

Cowherd added that Simmons had the makings of an all-time great.

"When I watch Ben Simmons play, it is just a gut feeling, that is something between LeBron and Magic (Johnson)," Cowherd said.

Instead, Simmons' career was derailed by injury setbacks and mental health struggles. The one-time All-NBA selectee subsequently became known for his reluctance to shoot, particularly from outside, and transitioned to being a role player.

Across 373 career outings, Simmons is shooting 5-for-36 from deep (13.9%). Meanwhile, Bronny is up to 7-for-26 from long distance (26.9%) through 22 contests.

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Bronny James on using criticism to fuel his development

Ahead of his 17-point scoring outburst, Bronny James spoke with The Athletic's Joe Vardon about being a target of criticism during his rookie season.

Many have accused James of benefiting from nepotism and being undeserving of an NBA roster spot. According to the second-rounder, he not only hears the ridicule but utilizes it as motivation.

"I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, and get better every day," James said.

James played a career-high 30 minutes on Thursday with most of LA's key players sidelined due to injuries. Perhaps the rookie can parlay his season-best output into a strong finish over the campaign's stretch run.

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