Even though the Lakers lost to the Clippers, Bronny James added another winning performance. The eldest son of LeBron James was demoted to the G League and performed to secure a 131-119 win. Apart from the performance, an injury worked in his favor to earn the call from head coach JJ Redick.

Luka Doncic played just 20 minutes on Saturday and had a collision with Clippers veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic. The five-time All-Star was hobbling the rest of the first half and somehow played a part in the second quarter. But that’s where the Lakers drew the line. An announcement was made as the 26-year-old was ruled out for the remainder of the game. This deepens the injury-filled roster of the purple and gold, and that’s why Bronny James again became an option.

On Sunday night, the Lakers announced that they have decided to recall James from the G League. James’ return to the lineup is also after his performance against the Wisconsin Herd. Bronny James made six of his 13 shot attempts and three of his seven attempts from downtown to score 15 points. Plus, he would provide five assists and three rebounds.

He was not alone, as RJ Davis came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 overall shooting. Kobe Bufkin scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Again, the numbers from Bronny don’t scream exceptional, but they are solid as he continues to hop between two teams.

The young Lakers guard has had a rough start to the season. After showing promise over the summer, many expected the 21-year-old to get in a lot of reps this season. However, he has appeared in just 13 games for the Purple & Gold, averaging 9.5 minutes per game. In fact, he was even demoted to the G League just like his rookie year this season as well.

Meanwhile, Bronny has had a decent six games this season with the South Bay Lakers. He was averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, shooting 35.6% from the field and 21.2% from the three-point line. But as injuries mount, him being around the first team was expected.

Doncic’s status for L.A.’s next game is in doubt, as they prepare for Tuesday’s road matchup against the Phoenix Suns. Austin Reaves has missed the last three games due to a calf injury, and he could sit out again on Tuesday. Gabe Vincent is not expected to play against the Suns either

LeBron James becomes a voice during troubled times

Injuries to other starters have left King James as the only fit player. Doncic finished the night against the Clippers with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, and one three-pointer. To make the outing more difficult, the 6-foot-8 guard also received ‘Ozempic’ signs from the Clippers Wall. The Lakers struggled with their poor 3-point shooting, as they made only 6 of 38 shots. While all these are not positive signs, LeBron James remains optimistic.

“No matter what the circumstance is, it’s still next man up,” James said. “We’re all professionals, and we all gotta stay ready. Obviously, very challenging circumstances for our ball club tonight, but at the end of the day, we played extremely hard and followed our keys. We just came up short. Whoever is in uniform, we have to go out and execute at the best pace we can, and we have to be on a string and help each other out. That’s what it’s about.”

The last message could also be for his son, Bronny James. If he gets the opportunity again, the 21-year-old should aim to make his mark. Now, it depends on JJ Redick if he provides James Jr. with consistent minutes or garbage minutes.