LeBron James’ son Bronny James has had a rough start to his NBA preseason. The former USC guard debuted with two points, one rebound, one assist and three blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 4. Bronny also finished the game with a plus-minus (+/-) -12.
Two nights later against the Phoenix Suns, the younger James ended with two rebounds, four turnovers and -16. On Thursday versus the Milwaukee Bucks, he had nothing in the box score except the 0-for-4, including 0-for-2 field-goal attempts. James also finished with a -12, giving him -40 in three games.
Bronny James’ -40 is tied for the 2nd worst in the NBA preseason for players with a minimum of three games played. He is joined by Washington Wizards players Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. The Memphis Grizzlies’ John Konchar is at the bottom with a -48 in three games.
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Per the NBA glossary, the plus-minus (+/-) stat is defined as:
“A statistic used to measure a player’s impact on the game by calculating the change in the score (plus or minus) while each player is on the court."
“If a player is on the court when his team is outscoring its opponents, then he must be doing something to help his team succeed.”
LeBron James’ son struggled in the Summer League, an issue most basketball fans and insiders weren’t surprised to see. New LA Lakers coach JJ Redick said the younger James would need time to develop in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. The rookie’s first three games have only emphasized his need for more seasoning.
Basketball fans react to Bronny James' plus-minus -40 stat with Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr
Bronny James’ basketball career has been under a microscope since his AAU days. Now that he is in the NBA, the scrutiny is even more intense. Following the release of James’ plus-minus -40 stat with Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr, fans promptly reacted:
“THE SECOND OVERALL PICK IS PLAYING LIKE BUNS N YALL WORRIED ABOUT BRONNY??????” a fan said.
“Bronny 55th pick, what’s Pooles excuse? Hahaha,” one fan said.
“My condolences for Wizards fans,” another fan said.
“Wow... the Hawks dodged a bullet,” one fan said.
Based on the plus-minus stat alone, the Lakers are in a much better situation than the Wizards. Bronny James is a second-round pick while Sarr could have gone No. 1.
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