LAS VEGAS — The crowd inside Thomas & Mack Center is typically extremely pro-Lakers.
That was especially the case in the Lakers’ first Las Vegas Summer League game on Friday against the Houston Rockets.
Fans were eager every time second-round draft pick Bronny James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James, had the ball in his hands.
The younger James, selected No. 55 overall last month after one season at USC, rewarded them early, converting a contested layup for his first points to a loud ovation from the fans in attendance and slamming down a dunk a few minutes later to put him at six points in the game’s opening five minutes.
“Just the atmosphere,” said James, whose father is with the U.S. Olympic team in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Paris Games. “A lot of people coming out and coming to support us.”
But the “oohs” and “ahhs” dwindled as the game went on, with the Rockets creating separation behind a 28-19 advantage in the second quarter and a 26-16 third en route to a 99-80 victory over the Lakers.
The Lakers remain winless in summer league play after going 0-3 in the smaller California Classic in San Francisco.
First-round pick Dalton Knecht had his best game so far this summer, finishing with a game-high 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting (5 for 11 from 3-point range) to go with six rebounds, four assists, a blocked shot and a steal.
“It just fell,” Knecht said. “I mean, I always stay confident in my shot and I know my teammates got my back. So does the coaching staff. So no matter what, I’m just going to let it fly.”
Friday was the first time Knecht shot at least 40% from the field and from behind the arc in his four games.
“Just continuing to get more NBA reps versus NBA players,” Lakers summer league and South Bay Lakers coach Dane Johnson said. “He’s slowly finding that. We all want it right away, even me, like I want this thing to click right away. But it takes time.
“He’s going to be fine. He showed spurts, especially at the end, coming off screens, knocking down threes, which he’s capable of and he’s going to do in the NBA.”
The 6-foot-2 James finished with eight points but on 3-for-14 shooting, including missing all eight of his 3-point attempts, to go with five rebounds, two steals and three turnovers to continue his offensive struggles.
“Always telling him to be aggressive,” Johnson said. “We’ll live with the threes he shot [on Friday]. He’s going to make those going forward. Just again, getting more reps at it. He was aggressive at the beginning and he’s going to keep building on that.”
James has scored 15 points on 6-for-26 shooting (0 for 12 from 3-point range) in his three summer league games so far (he sat out one).
“I just feel like I’m in a little slump right now,” he said. “The shot hasn’t been falling.”
Related Articles
Lakers are No. 3 seed in West Group B for 2024 NBA Cup
Team USA tops Canada in exhibition to begin Olympic tune-up
Bronny James, Lakers blow late lead in California Classic finale
The Audible: On Kawhi’s Olympic exit, Bronny’s presence and the Dodgers’ shrinking rotation
UConn, Dan Hurley agree to 6-year, $50 million deal a month after he spurned offer from Lakers
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke with ESPN during the second quarter Friday and in the on-air interview said that he has told Bronny James to focus on defense and what will be an intense player development program that the team will create for him.
“He had a heart procedure last year, up-and-down freshman year, obviously going through the pre-draft process, there’s a conditioning element to being able to play that way defensively,” Redick said. “But overall, we like what we’ve seen in practice. We like what we’ve seen in Summer League.”
Two-way big man Colin Castleton finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Rockets were led by Reed Sheppard’s 23 points and five assists. The No. 3 pick in the draft also had four rebounds and three blocks.
The Lakers’ next game is Monday night against the Boston Celtics at the Thomas & Mack Center.