Lakers News: Dalton Knecht, Bronny James Fall to Sacramento in Summer League Debuts

And an Exhibit 10 signing has a big night.

Jul 6, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers' two highly-touted new rookie draft picks, sharpshooting former Tennessee Volunteers swingman Dalton Knecht and former one-and-done USC Trojans combo guard Bronny James, made their Summer League NBA debuts for L.A. on Saturday afternoon.

Playing on the Golden State Warriors' home floor, the Chase Center in San Francisco, to open up the California Classic segment of Summer League competition, the Summer Lakers ultimately fell to the Sacramento Kings' Summer League squad, 108-94.

Summer League L.A. head coach Dane Johnson, who during the season still serves as the South Bay Lakers' head coach, started James at the point; Knecht at shooting guard; Exhibit 10 signing Sean East II, an undrafted free agent from the Missouri Tigers, was trotted out at small forward; 2023 second round draft pick Maxwell Lewis started at the four; and freshly re-signed two-way center Colin Castleton manned the middle at center.

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Lakers small forward Blake Hinson, a new two-way signing out of Pittsburgh, caught fire off the bench, nailing five of his seven triple tries for the bulk of his team-high 17 points. Castleton notched an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, plus one block, while Armel Traore, the Lakers' third two-way signing, scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting, in just 13:05 of action.

Knecht had an erratic shooting night, scoring 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field (1-of-4 form deep) and 5-of-9 shooting from the foul line, while also passing for four dimes, grabbing two rebounds and swiping a pair of steals.

James, the son of 20-time All-NBA Lakers combo forward LeBron James, had just four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the floor, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. But defensively, the No. 55 pick strutted his stuff in a big way.

BRONNY JAMES DEFENSE IS INSANE 🌟🌟🌟 pic.twitter.com/l7zFsjpl0g

— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) July 6, 2024

James flashed some midrange scoring prowess, too:

Bronny James finds separation for the midrange J!

🏀 Lakers-Kings
☀️ California Classic on ESPN pic.twitter.com/q0ZmUQcXlp

— NBA (@NBA) July 6, 2024

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