Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Bronny James 'looking forward' to playing 'no matter what level'

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jul 13, 2024 9:31 AM ET

Bronny James is off to a shaky start to his career with the Lakers.

In three Summer League games thus far, James has shot an appalling 6-for-26 from the field and 0-for-12 from three-point range.

During Friday's 99-80 loss to the Rockets, James got off to a promising start as he scored six quick points to put the Lakers up 13-10 midway through the first quarter. However, as the game progressed, James struggled to find his range, finishing with eight points on 3-for-14 shooting with three turnovers. He would miss all eight of his three-point attempts.

Bronny James tonight:

8 Points
5 Rebounds
2 Steals
3/14 FGM
0/8 3PM
3 Turnovers pic.twitter.com/fwE7HEIIk8
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) July 13, 2024

After the game, James was asked if he saw himself starting his career with the Lakers' G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, instead of being on an NBA bench from the get-go next season.

"I'm just looking forward to any basketball I play — no matter what level I'm playing at," James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

James also admitted he's "in a little slump right now" but sounded positive about turning things around eventually.

During the Summer League affair on Friday, new Lakers head coach JJ Redick joined his former ESPN colleagues to discuss James' development. Redick brushed aside concerns about James' struggles on the offensive side while praising his intangibles on the defensive side of the floor.

"Overall, we've liked what we've seen in practice. We like what we've seen in the Summer League," Redick said of James' defense, via Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation.

Redick also referred to James as "case study No. 1" and a project he and his coaching staff are excited to develop over the next few years.

Unlike James, the Lakers' other rookie, Dalton Knecht, has been lighting it up over the last two Summer League games. The sharpshooting guard scored 25 against the Rockets on Friday just a few nights after his 20-point outing against the Heat in the California Classic.

Knecht is expected to be a part of the Lakers' rotation from the very onset of the 2024-25 season.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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