THE Los Angeles Lakers spear NBA Summer League against the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic on Saturday, and the rookie Bronny James marked his first NBA basket during the game.
After months of waiting, Lakers fans are eager to see basketball officially return as the team kicks off the Summer League with the California Classic in San Francisco at Chase Center on Saturday afternoon.
The main attraction of this year’s Summer League is Bronny, who was selected with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Bronny has already faced his fair share of criticism and pressure due to his status as LeBron James’ son, but he has handled the pressure so far and said he isn’t concerned about the outside noise.
James also had a steal in the second quarter that put the Lakers on top, ending with a layup by Kyle Mangas.
The Lakers play three games The Lakers will play in the California Classic before heading to Las Vegas for the big summer league tournament that will see all teams participate. The Lakers have four games to play this week before the playoffs begin on July 20. Their next game is Sunday, July 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
Dalton Knecht also plays for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League
In addition to Bronny, 17th overall pick Dalton Knecht will also be in Los Angeles and he will have a lot to prove after falling out of the lottery. Knecht was considered one of the most NBA-ready prospects in his draft and has a clear path to getting his professional career off to a good start.
Former NBA player Theo Pinson believes the Lakers got the Project flight with Knecht.
“The steal of the draft? Oh, Knecht from the Lakers, from Tennessee,” Pinson said on his To the Baha podcast with Raymond Felton. “He’s a top pick. I would have taken him first overall, but you know how everybody is. ‘He’s too old,’ and all that kind of shit. He’s the best player in the draft. He’s a dog, man. He can play and he’s got rebounds. He’ll hit you, too. They talk about him, they don’t know if he can defend. I’m like, man, who can defend?”
Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season for the Vols while shooting 39.9 percent from three-point range. The Northern Colorado transfer was named SEC Player of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith National College Player of the Year Award, which went to Purdue’s Zach Edey.
Knecht’s potential problem is that he’s an older prospect, having turned 23 last April. The Lakers’ new sharpshooter spent five years at Northeastern Junior College, the University of Northern Colorado and Tennessee.
