LAS VEGAS – It was another tough night for Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers, as the defending champion Boston Celtics took care of business on 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 the Summer League. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the breakthrough performance they had hoped for and many fans chose to leave the arena before the start of the fourth quarter.
James didn’t get the same amount of looks at the rim and was 1-of-5 from the field (0-of-3). His only 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 on with a monster block in the first quarter.
In the second half, the Lakers struggled to get any offensive rhythm and the Celtics launched a five-man offense that had the Lakers chasing on defense. Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ 17th draft pick out of Tennessee, finished with 19 points, and Max Lewis added 13 points, three rebounds and two assists for LA. 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 of 8 from 3-point range and recording eight points and five rebounds. He was visibly frustrated, telling reporters, “I feel like I’m in a little bit of a slump right now. My shot wasn’t going down today, but I just need to keep putting in the reps and getting better.”
James knows his limitations and recognizes that he will never be the No. 1 option like his father, LeBron. He has been a solid contributor to much more ball-dominant players throughout his career and studies players at the NBA level who adapt to his style of play.
“I watch Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White a lot,” James said at the NBA Draft Combine. “The guys who excel at their jobs and are stuck with what they’re supposed to do. My goal isn’t really to be ‘that guy’. There are a lot of guys in the NBA who already play that role.”
James was the No. 55 pick in the draft and will need some reps in the G League before he can contribute significant minutes with the Lakers. The franchise will be patient with his development, but even with his inconsistent shooting, he shows promise as an on-ball defender who can shift around the perimeter and has the athleticism to drop down and block shots.
Summer League matters very little in the grand scheme of things, but this is a good wake-up call for James and what he needs to develop and work on leading up to the start of his rookie season. The positive takeaway from the first few games is that he is not getting lost on the court and his looks from behind the arc are good misses. The Lakers knew what they were doing when they drafted Bronny, and the Crypto.com Arena will be packed whenever LeBron and Bronny take the court together this season.
