Lakers News: Bronny James' Scoring Nosedives in South Bay G League Showcase Win

The rookie point guard had been enjoying a product run of late.

Dec 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) handles the ball in the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rookie Los Angeles Lakers point guard Bronny James had been enjoying a productive run of late on the club's NBAGL affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers.

But that recent hot streak appears to have cooled off.

During South Bay's G League Winter Showcase tilt on Saturday against the Orlando Magic's NBAGL squad, the Osceola Magic, the former USC Trojan chipped in a scant sum.

Instead, guard DaJuan Gordon notched a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, while shooting 11-of-17 from the floor (5-of-8 from long range), and former six-year NBA guard Devonte' Graham, who chipped in 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the hardwood. Two-way player Quincy Olivari, moved to the bench now with Graham rostered, chipped in 18 points while shooting 5-of-10 from the field (3-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc) and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, six dimes and four boards.

The 6-foot-2 James still nabbed the starting two-guard slot alongside Graham. He chipped in just six points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field (0-of-3 from long range), but also managed to dish out seven dimes (against six turnovers), pull down four rebounds, and swipe one steal.

All told, six South Bay players scored in double digits, though James, the 20-year-old son of 20-time All-Star Los Angeles power forward LeBron, was not among them.

In his seven games for South Bay thus far, the younger James is averaging 13.4 points on .374/.212/.667 shooting splits, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks a night. In seven games for Los Angeles, the Sierra Canyon School product is averaging 0.6 points on 12.5 percent shooting from the field, along with 0.3 assists, 0.1 blocks and 0.1 rebounds. All-Rookie Team numbers, these aren't.

But that's okay. L.A. team vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka took a flier on James when he selected his priciest player's son with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Pelinka did, however, hit it out of the park selecting outside the NBA draft lottery in the first round. He grabbed young shooting guard Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick. The 6-foot-6 former All-American Tennessee swingman, 23, is averaging 9.9 points on .464/.370/.714 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.5 steals across 22.5 minutes per game, while starting 12 of his 28 contests.

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