Many NBA fans who were curious to see how Bronny James would perform in his NBA Summer League debut in Las Vegas ended up seeing a show from another rookie.
James scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and stole two in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 99-80 loss to the Houston Rockets. The rookie guard played 20 minutes and scored two points in the second half. He shot 3 of 12 from the field and 0 of 6 from 3-point range.
However, James got off to a fast start, aggressively driving the ball to the basket and scored two early baskets, including the Lakers’ second of the game.
James’ eight points were the highest scoring total by James in his three Summer League games. He scored four in his Summer League debut against the Sacramento Kings and scored three against the Miami Heat, both games played in the California Classic. (James missed the Lakers’ second game in California due to knee inflammation.)
In his three Summer League games, James is averaging five points per game on 23% shooting from the field.
With the slow start, it was inevitable that James would be asked if he was open to a G League assignment to get competitive minutes instead of sitting on the Lakers bench. That question came up Friday, and James didn’t rule out the idea, according to ESPN:
“I’m looking forward to playing any basketball game, no matter what level I’m at,” James said.
James signed a four-year, $7.9 million guaranteed contract with the Lakers before the season. He also reportedly said, “I feel like I’m in a little bit of a slump right now” to explain his performance.
Reed Sheppard was the rookie who impressed many viewers. The third overall pick in June’s NBA draft led Houston with 23 points, along with four rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He made 4 of 6 three-pointers and 9 of 17 field goals.
Last year’s Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore added 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals for the Rockets.
Once again, the Lakers’ most impressive rookie was first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht. The 17th overall pick out of Tennessee scored a game-high 25 points with six rebounds and four assists while shooting 5 of 11 from long range.
New Lakers coach JJ Redick joined the ESPN broadcast in the first quarter, reuniting with his former broadcast partners Mark Jones and Doris Burke, and explained that scoring isn’t what the team is looking for from LeBron James’ son.
“I thought in the last game of the Cali Classic, defensively, he was fantastic,” Redick said. “He had eight or nine possessions where, whether it was ball pressure or switching positions, he just made defensive plays. That’s been a real point of emphasis in all of my conversations in the times I’ve been with the team on the practice court.”
Redick added that the Lakers want James to provide ball pressure. While he didn’t compare the rookie to Luguentz Dort and Jrue Holiday, whom Redick watched when he attended Thursday’s pre-Olympic exhibition game between Team USA and Canada, those are the types of players he wants James to look up to as role models.
The Lakers will face the Boston Celtics in the Summer League, which is set to begin on Monday night at 10:30 p.m. ET.