SAN FRANCISCO — Bronny James made his NBA summer season league debut Saturday and was shocked by the nice and cozy reception he obtained within the metropolis the place his father performed a few of his fiercest NBA Finals battles.
“The ambiance,” Bronny stated when requested what shocked him essentially the most after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings to open the California Basic. “It was greater than I anticipated. I imply, it is a huge recreation for me, however I did not know if folks from Golden State would come and rep for me. In order that was fairly good to see.”
James completed with 4 factors on 2-for-9 taking pictures, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 22 minutes.
Dane Johnson, the coach of L.A.’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, began Bronny, 19, together with Colin Castleton, 24, Sean East II, 24, Dalton Knecht, 23, and Maxwell Lewis, 21.
“He is simply obtained to continue learning, preserve getting reps and studying how a lot he is able to,” Johnson stated. “Like, his physique, he can get downhill if he makes use of his shoulder if he has somewhat little bit of a bonus on any individual. And simply constructing that confidence into him.”
It was a far cry from LeBron James’ summer season league debut in Orlando, Florida, in 2003, when LeBron put up 14 factors, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and followers hid beneath automobiles within the players-only car parking zone to attempt to get a glimpse of the prospect when he obtained off the group bus.
Then once more, LeBron was the No. 1 decide and Bronny was No. 55. Nonetheless, the extent of anticipation for Bronny’s debut was excessive, with a row of cameras lining the baseline an hour earlier than tipoff to seize the 6-2 guard’s pregame warmups.
Halfway by the second quarter, James confirmed a flash of the defensive promise the Lakers noticed when drafting him, stealing a move and igniting a quick break that ended with a Blake Hinson dish inside to Kyle Mangas for a bucket.
A few possessions later, James scored his first factors on a driving layup with 5:51 to go within the second, tying the rating at 31-31.
“Moments like that may sluggish it down,” Bronny stated of the second-quarter sequence. “Gradual the sport down for you, particularly, as a result of I wasn’t as productive as I needed to [be] beforehand.”
He missed his first three pictures, made one, then missed 4 in a row earlier than his second area objective got here on a 19-foot bounce shot halfway by the third quarter.
James’ summer season league debut marked his first recreation motion in practically 4 months, when his collegiate profession ended unceremoniously with USC dropping 70-49 to Arizona within the Pac-12 quarterfinals and James logging 3 factors on 1-for-5 taking pictures, 1 rebound and 1 steal.
There have been some indicators of rust Saturday, particularly when it got here to his shot.
“I used to be making an attempt to get downhill as a lot as I may to open up the 2-ball, and the midrange, and the 3-ball,” Bronny stated after going 0-for-3 from deep. “Could not get the 3-ball to fall, however with all of the reps, it will come extra easy.”
Talking to reporters following the primary day of USA Basketball’s coaching camp in Las Vegas, LeBron shrugged off any statistical struggles that Bronny may face.
“What he does within the California Basic and summer season league, it would not matter if he performs effectively and it would not matter if he would not play effectively,” LeBron stated. “I simply need him to proceed to develop [from] practices, movie classes, his particular person exercises. You possibly can’t take something stat-wise from the California Basic and summer season league and produce it to as soon as the season begins. So, the one factor that issues is him getting higher and stacking days.”
Knecht, the Lakers’ No. 17 decide within the draft, scored 12 factors on 3-for-12 taking pictures. Blake Hinson, who signed with L.A. on a two-way contract out of the College of Pittsburgh, led the group with 17 factors, going 5-for-7 from 3. Guard Tommy Kuhse, who graduated from St. Mary’s in 2022 earlier than enjoying abroad, additionally stood out with 15 factors, 8 assists and a couple of steals off the bench.
The Lakers play two extra video games within the California Basic — Sunday in opposition to the Golden State Warriors and Wednesday in opposition to the Miami Warmth — earlier than heading to Las Vegas, the place they’re going to open up in opposition to the Houston Rockets on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“He will play — granted, if he is wholesome — all through this complete factor,” Johnson stated of the plans for Bronny for the remainder of the Lakers’ summer season league slate. “We’ll attempt to combine him and attempt to get him as many reps as we are able to. As a result of he wants extra expertise enjoying. And particularly the NBA recreation. It is somewhat completely different than school, so getting reps within the NBA, in an NBA setting with good gamers will assist him in the long term.”
Saturday was only one a part of that course of for Bronny.
“Each first recreation that I step into the subsequent degree, it is at all times some butterflies in my abdomen,” Bronny stated. “However as quickly because the ball ideas and we go a pair instances down, all of it goes away and I am simply enjoying basketball. So it is at all times going to be there, however I am going to get by it.”