THE BIGGEST name in the G League delivered a matchwinning performance yesterday, with Bronny James producing a career night to lead the South Bay Lakers past the Santa Cruz Warriors.

James came into the league having been drafted late in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, with a weight on his shoulders previously unseen for a player taken that late, given he is the son of arguably the greatest player of all time in LeBron.

Since joining the Los Angeles Lakers where his father plays, James has been splitting his time between the NBA side and its G League affiliate in South Bay. While slowly progressing at NBA level, his performances in the G League have been tremendous, and he was already coming into the game in strong form.

James was also coming up against a familiar face for Aussie basketball fans in Taran Armstrong, who did have another magnificent performance with 22 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and six steals, but his team fell short as the Lakers got the job done with a strong finish to the game en route to a four-point win.

The Lakers young gun was electric in the win over Santa Cruz, looking more aggressive than ever with ball in hand, and his production was a demonstration of how high his ceiling is once he continues to develop at G League level.

Running the point guard, James looked to use screens to get separation from the opposition, and one of the most impressive facets of his performance was the level of physicality he brought. Relentless in his attack on the basket, James used his momentum to force his opponent back and create a good look close to the rim.

The Warriors’ interior defence simply had no answer for James’ ruthless pressure on the rim, and a quick first step allowed him to get past his immediate defender in the half court and get a good look going downhill.

As the game rolled on, James incorporated a three-point shot into his game, feeling confident after setting himself up with consistent scores at the basket. Although not the biggest sharpshooter on the team, his shooting mechanic is getting much better, and he looks much steadier when releasing the ball than his first few appearances for the Lakers.

Adding another dimension to his game made James and the Lakers overall much more dangerous on the offensive end, and by the time he had muscled his way to the basket for another tough finish in the fourth quarter, South Bay had built an eight-point lead, which was enough to hold off the Warriors.

James finished with a career-best 39 points on 14/21 shooting from the field and 4/8 shooting from behind the arc to go with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Although he was slightly careless with the ball with seven turnovers, his offensive production was simply too good to let this overshadow his efforts scoring the rock.

James has an unprecedented level of pressure on his shoulders given the family he hails from, but yesterday’s performance was another big step in the right direction and suggests he could develop into a seriously impressive talent.