Hot Takes on Lakers’ Bronny James vs. Hawks with Dalton Knecht, Risacher Out
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVJuly 18, 2024
Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
Bronny James has had a rough summer. Wednesday was a step in the right direction.
The Los Angeles Lakers second-round pick finished with 12 points, a rebound and a steal in his team’s 87-86 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
NBA @NBABronny James gets things started in Vegas with the bucket!
ATL-LAL on ESPN2 | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/SHByE18Mmn
ESPN @espnWHAT A LAY BY BRONNY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3a3exgLhLm
SportsCenter @SportsCenterBRONNY KNOCKS DOWN HIS FIRST THREE AS A LAKER 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/fQ4EZlbyMk
He also finally hit a three-pointer after an 0-for-16 streak from beyond the arc this summer, finishing 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from three.
He was the main attraction on the evening, as teammate Dalton Knecht and top overall pick Zaccharie Risacher were held out of the contest:
Mike Trudell @LakersReporterDalton Knecht is out for tonight’s game vs. Atlanta. It’s a team decision due to the volume of practices and games over the past two weeks of Cali Classic and Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Moses Brown is also out (non-Covid illness).
Brad Rowland @BTRowlandZaccharie Risacher and Dylan Windler are both OUT tonight.
Risacher has a right quad contusion.
Windler has a right elbow injury.
It was the sort of performance from James that fans were waiting to see, and he earned some love on the socials following the contest:
Cowboys winning the Bowl @DelucowboysfanBronny having a good game?? pic.twitter.com/lFb5bPiY8Z
DOMOnateYoBihhhh @CommedesDomoKeep hooping Bronny they hate to see it
_ @haaspepperBRONNY JAMES 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
lakers are cooked ¯_(ツ)_/¯ @ImDahDude_23Bronny coming back and having a game like this is a great sign. A lot of noise around him and he came back strong.
Dan Woike @DanWoikeSportsHalf – Lakers lead 44-41. Bronny James has 9 points, has been aggressive and efficient on offense. Has played almost entirely off the ball as a SG, which at 6-1, certainly an issue the Lakers will want to address
Gmanski @gmanski3No Bronny slander on my TL tonight 👌🏽
Fresco @ImJustKaThis the Bronny I wanna see play
connor goebel @goebsy_goebelBronny having his best game rn
FastTimesAtRF aka @KarateSkoolBronny attacking and letting it fly looking so much smoother. Nerves might’ve settled down
99 @passthechillGood for bronny man
It’s basically unheard of for a second-round pick to be in the sort of fishbowl James finds himself in, but that comes with the territory when your father is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and may or may not have pulled some strings to ensure his team drafted you so the two of you could play together before he retired.
It’s fair to question if declaring for the NBA draft after one unremarkable season at USC was the right decision for Bronny’s development. He’s not going to see the court for the Lakers this season outside of garbage time—he arguably wouldn’t have even been drafted were it not for his father.
But this is the situation he finds himself in, and on Wednesday he finally looked like he belonged, at least at the Summer League level. It’s a start.
