LAS VEGAS — It was another rough night for Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers as the defending champion Boston Celtics took care of business Monday night and won, 88-74. James took the court to thunderous applause as fans packed the Thomas & Mack Center for the final game of Day 3 of Summer League. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the breakthrough performance they were hoping for and many fans opted to leave the arena before the fourth quarter began.
James didn’t get nearly the same amount of looks at the rim and went 1-of-5 from the field (0-of-3 from 3). His lone bucket came with four minutes left in the game and the entire arena erupted. James finished with three rebounds, two points, one assist and one block in 25 minutes. It was a good start defensively as James made his presence known early with a monster block in the first quarter.
In the second half, the Lakers struggled to get any offensive rhythm and the Celtics ran a five-man out offense that had the Lakers chasing on defense. Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ No. 17 draft pick out of Tennessee, finished with 19 points, and Max Lewis added 13 points, three rebounds and two assists for L.A. The Celtics were led by Neemias Queta, who finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while JD Davison added nine points and seven assists.
James didn’t shoot well in his first Vegas Summer League showing, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range and posting eight points and five rebounds. He was visibly frustrated, telling reporters, “I just feel like I’m in a little slump right now. My shot wasn’t falling today but I just need to continue to get the reps in and get better.”
James knows his limitations and acknowledges he’s never going to be a No. 1 option like his dad, LeBron. He’s been a solid contributing piece to much more ball-dominant players his entire career and studies players at the NBA level who fit his playing style.
“I watch a lot of Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White,” James said at the NBA Draft Combine. “The guys that excel in their role and are locked into what they’re supposed to do. My goal isn’t really to be ‘that guy.’ There’s a lot of guys in the NBA that have that role already.”
James was the No. 55 pick in the draft and will need some reps in the G League before he can contribute any meaningful minutes on the Lakers. The franchise is going to be patient with his development but even with his inconsistent shooting, he’s showing promise as an on-ball defender who can switch along the perimeter and has the athleticism to drop down and block shots.
Summer League matters very little in the grand scheme of things, yet this is a very good wakeup call for James and what he needs to develop and work on between now and the start of his rookie season. The positive takeaways from the first few games is that he’s not getting lost on the court and his looks from behind the arc are good misses. The Lakers knew what they were doing in drafting Bronny, and Crypto.com Arena will be packed every time LeBron and Bronny hit the court together this season.
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