Bronny James has gotten the message from his father and coach: his transition to the Los Angeles Lakers is going to take a lot of time and work.
And Friday only confirmed what they were already saying.
James, the 55th overall pick in last month’s draft, struggled on the court, scoring eight points as the Lakers lost 99-80 to the Houston Rockets on opening day of the NBA Summer League.
Bronny’s father, LeBron James, was not in attendance. He was in Abu Dhabi with the U.S. Olympic team. He arrived Friday to prepare for two exhibition games next week as the Americans prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris.
But Bronny’s mother, Savannah, was in the sold-out crowd, filled mostly with fans wearing Lakers purple and gold, and they roared when Bronny James was introduced, as expected.
“The atmosphere, they came to support,” James said.
James’ latest stats: 3 of 14 from the field, 0 of 8 on 3-pointers, five rebounds, two steals and three turnovers in 27 minutes. In three games this summer, the first two at the California Classic — a smaller summer league in San Francisco — he’s shooting 23 percent and has missed all 12 of his attempts from 3-point range.
“The shot didn’t fire,” James said.
Lakers coach JJ Redick spoke to ESPN during the second quarter on Friday and said in the live interview that he told Bronny James to focus on defense and the intensive player development program the team will put together for him.
“He had heart surgery last year, the first year up and down, obviously through the pre-draft process, there’s a conditioning element to being able to play defense like that,” Redick said. “But overall, we’re happy with what we’ve seen in practice. We’re happy with what we’ve seen in Summer League.”
LeBron James — who played in Orlando and Boston’s summer leagues as a rookie — has already said he wants his son to remember that the stats, good, bad or otherwise, don’t matter this summer. He just wants to see growth and learning.
“The only thing that matters is that he gets better and keeps piling up days,” he said.
Bronny James had six of the Lakers’ first 13 points on Friday: a layup, two free throws and then a dunk in which the guard, who may be a bit tall at 6-foot-3, showed off his athleticism by coming out from under the basket for a dunk.
He didn’t score again until midway through the fourth quarter, when he scored a quick basket with a deft move. He started with a left-hand dribble down the court, then extended the ball with his right hand and dropped a floater.
James’ first two games at the California Classic didn’t produce many statistics. He shot 3 of 12 from the floor, 1 of 4 from the free throw line, went 0 of 4 on 3-pointers. He averaged 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 25 minutes per game in those two games.
“I’m excited for Bronny,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said earlier this week. “It’s a cool experience. Never done it before, never happened in basketball, so it’s a cool experience to have him on our team and just watch him grow.”
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