"Bronny James poster on Giannis tonight" - NBA fans react to Luka Doncic & 5 Lakers players ruled out for Bucks showdown

The LA Lakers carry an extensive injury report ahead of Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers play the second of their back-to-back without the most important players, leading fans to wonder what to expect from the fit players on the roster.

The Lakers have listed LeBron James (left groin strain), Luka Doncic (right ankle sprain), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain), Rui Hachimura (left patella tendinopathy), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery).

Los Angeles won 120-108 against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to nine games at home. But without their main stars, LA could find it challenging to maintain their streak against a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led team.

On the other hand, some fans predict more playing time for rookie guard Bronny James. Without some of the team's best ball handlers, coach JJ Redick may choose to have the younger James play more.

Here are some of what the fans said about a potentially big game for James.

"Bronny poster on Giannis tonight," a fan said.

"Im about to riot JJ house if he play Milton over Bronny at least on rotation," another fan said.

"Bronny mins 👀👀" one fan commented.

Other fans predicted how many minutes and points Bronny could end up with.

"Bronny dropping 25 tonight," a fan said.

"I think nephew gone get 20-7-5 with 2 steals," another fan said.

"55 points incoming but DK and SHAKE are playing so 2 points only 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂" one fan said.

Bronny James has averaged 4.7 minutes in 21 games in the 2024-25 season, with his most active game (15:43) coming away in the 131-126 loss at the Denver Nuggets on Mar. 14.

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The Lakers guard is using criticism as fuel to improve his game

Since getting drafted into the NBA, Bronny James has always dealt with criticism from various people. However, he doesn't let it affect himself and his play. In an interview with The Athletic's Joe Vardon, James admitted that he's heard the criticism about him.

Initially, James would hear about the talk about him and ignore it. Instead of dwelling on what people say, the rookie said that he sometimes comes to work and tries to be positive. However, the former USC guard said it sometimes fuels him to work on his game.

The Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick. As a second-round pick, the son of a four-time champion has faced much criticism but has kept his head up and appears to be focused on developing his game.