Bronny James looked a bit lost in the first half during Thursday night’s Summer League game against the Boston Celtics in Las Vegas.
In the second half, he was in his bag.
That’s when the second-year guard scored all 18 of his points. He hit a “jelly” and-1 and used a Euro step to completely fake out Boston big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. before another bucket. Tack on an additional and-1 and a corner 3 at other points of the second half, and the former second-round pick had himself his best offensive game — but really his best offensive half — of the summer.
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He redeemed himself after entering intermission with a goose egg in the scoring column, plus a whopping six turnovers. While the 6-foot-2 guard’s 18 points were a game high, so were his eight turnovers in the 87-78 loss to the Celtics.
James’ final stat line read 18 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 8 turnovers. James is now averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 4.0 turnovers on 47.6% shooting in four games of Vegas Summer League action.
Boston was led Thursday by second-year forward Jordan Walsh. The 2023 second-round pick hammered home a dunk in the third quarter and windmilled another in the fourth. He also knocked down a pair of 3s. As a team, the Celtics shot only 31.6% from deep but clocked out with 12 triples, twice as many as the Lakers.
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Lofton stuffed the stat sheet, both in good and bad ways. Like Walsh, Lofton — who once poured in 42 points and 14 rebounds for the Memphis Grizzlies during a 2022-23 regular-season game — netted two 3s Thursday night, and he logged 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. That said, he committed eight fouls (you get 10 before fouling out in Summer League) and five turnovers.
Notably, Los Angeles lost a role player candidate to injury in the second quarter. Forward Darius Bazley, a first-round pick in 2019, had been impressing with defensive versatility and an improved offensive game throughout Summer League competition. Before going down with what appeared to be a right lower-leg injury, he had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench, in part thanks to a pair of and-1 conversions.
As for James, the Lakers leaned on him as a primary ball-handler all game. In the first half, he mostly utilized that role as a distributor. While he dished some nice passes to center Christian Koloko, he misfired on others, including one that he put too much heat on, resulting in a Jalen Bridges steal. Another came from poor court vision, as James didn’t see a lurking Lofton, who intercepted James’ pass intended for Ethan Taylor.
Not all of James’ turnovers came from errant passes. His first giveaway was the byproduct of an offensive foul that saw him extend his left elbow while he tried to create his own shot. Another was likely Dalton Knecht’s fault, considering Knecht wasn’t in the corner where he was probably supposed to receive the dribble-drive kickout James delivered.
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Either way, James’ scoreless, turnover-ridden first half was hard to watch. His second half showed why the 20-year-old remains an intriguing prospect. Oozing with athletic potential, James capitalized on his usage and flipped on his scoring switch.
He finished 7 of 13 from the field.
His first bucket came early in the third quarter on a floater that he got off after lowering his shoulder to create separation against Boston’s Max Shulga.
His highlight-reel jelly was made possible by a crossover that shook Celtics rookie Hugo González. James’ other and-1 stemmed from him muscling a shot over Lofton in a 10-point third quarter.
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Here’s how James’ up-and-down performance played out: