Sport is cruel, and more so, it only takes a moment to turn the tables in the NBA. From being a major threat to the 29 other teams to now having a thin roster, the Lakers’ fate changed a little too quickly. And while miseries haven’t overwhelmed them with their key man, LeBron James out, the recent update about Luka Doncic is equally concerning. Amid these alarming times, when the probable lineup for tonight’s game against the Nuggets was announced, Bronny James’ presence in it made the community say one thing.

Facing the Denver side is always frightening for the Purple and Gold after their poor record. But that is in the past now. They have already broken it with LeBron and Doncic leading the charge. But they won’t be available tonight. The 40-year-old would still need time to fully recover from his groin injury.

The recent update on the 4x champion’s health came from Shams Charania. “The Lakers need LeBron James back bad but they also can’t rush it,” the ESPN insider said on The Pat McAfee Show. Charania believes that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes, who are also on the injury report with left patellar tendinopathy and right knee contusion, have better chances of returning sooner than LeBron. “I still expect LeBron to miss another week,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Slovenian has registered his name on the injury report because of his left calf injury management and right ankle sprain. Doncic’s absence doesn’t come as a surprise. Playing in back-to-back games could take a toll on his health, with his ongoing back issue causing discomfort. And the last thing the Lakers would want now is to jeopardize his well-being, so he has been ruled out for the game. Now, all eyes have turned to Bronny, hoping that he would step up.

Laker Nation unite on social media placing their faith in Bronny James

“I believe in Bronny, he got us,” one fan wrote. There has been much criticism about Bronny’s potential to join the Lakers’ squad. While he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations in his performances for the NBA side, the fan still has faith that he might be able to make it in this matchup.

Another fan boldly claimed, “Give bronny 48 min to prove himself, if he gets under 5 pts then don’t blame the hate. If he drops 15+ then Stephen a and everybody else has to apologize.” If you’ve been following along, you’d know that the talk of the town in the league is the 20-year-old, especially after the dramatic confrontation between his father, LeBron, and Stephen A. Smith last week. The fan believes that if Bronny gets ample minutes on the floor and can deliver with points, then the ESPN analyst would have to apologize and take back his criticism. For now, his average playing time has been just 4.2 minutes per game, and there are slim chances he’ll see much more time on the floor tonight. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

“BRONNY BREAKOUT GAME!” read one comment. There’s only one way for Bronny to shut his critics: by performing. The young guard has appeared in 18 games for the Lakers, averaging 1.4 points, with other stats falling below one. So, this is his opportunity to shine through.

Someone stated,

“Let bronny play 48 min to prove himself. We aren’t gonna win anyway.” Winning against the Nuggets wouldn’t be easy with their main players on the injury list. However, this fan suggested that HC JJ Redick could give Bronny more playing time, since winning seems unlikely at this point at least he would be able to showcase the growth that he has had since joining the G League.

Whereas, another fan commented, “I wish Bronny James plays as a starter.” While the starting lineup hasn’t been confirmed yet, it seems the community still has a lot of faith in the rookie, who has yet to showcase his full talent. This could either boost his confidence or put even more pressure on him. But whatever it, the hopes are quite high for him to show up.