Finally Bronny James made a three and finally Bronny James made a noticeable impact on the court — events that somehow felt both momentous and meaningless in the Lakers’ third game in Las Vegas.
On one hand, the 12 points – nine coming in the first half – were proof of skills that the Lakers have been touting since using their second-round pick on James last month. On the other, if James’ early struggles in Vegas weren’t real reason to panic, a good half on Wednesday wasn’t real reason to celebrate.
The Lakers first win, an 87-86 victory over the Hawks, was reason enough for the Lakers to have a smile.
Development in the NBA is rarely linear, players learning and failing and succeeding in real time, just rarely with this level of interest.
The gym was less full Wednesday partly because of the natural fading vibes in Vegas during Summer League and partly because Atlanta’s top pick, No. 1 overall Zaccharie Risacher, and the Lakers’ top choice, Dalton Knecht, both sat out. But James’ every act, from being announced as a starter to his game-opening jumper to his first three of the summer were all met with out-sized applause.
The crowd even reacted as he stood to go to the scorer’s table to re-enter the game.
Against the Hawks, James played his best offensive basketball, attacking the rim early and ultimately hitting two of five three-point shots after entering the game 0-for-15 over the Lakers’ summer.
Knecht and James are expected to play Thursday against Cleveland.
The Lakers, hungry for their first win this summer after losing all three games in the California Classic and their first two in Vegas, got off to a great start before Atlanta controlled the second half.
Colin Castleton, entering his second season on a two-way contract, had his best game of the summer, scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists.
His play at the rim on both sides late helped the team break out of its winless summer.