EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Since Bronny James was selected No. 55 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in June, the organization scheduled the start of the South Bay Lakers season on Saturday.

While South Bay’s 110-96 win over the Salt Lake City Stars at the franchise’s practice facility couldn’t match the aura of NBA opening night at Crypto.com Arena, the time the 20-year-old guard spends getting reps in the G League will undoubtedly be more important to his development.

It took James just 43 seconds to score his first G League points, hitting a 16-foot jumper along the baseline.

“I just got a bucket,” Bronny said after the game. ‘It affected me and I… yes. I didn’t miss it.’

He finished with 6 points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-4 from 3), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 5 turnovers in 31 minutes – loosely mirroring his production as a freshman at USC (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists) and during the Lakers’ preseason (4.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists).

Lakers two-way guard Quincy Olivari, who led South Bay with 28 points and assisted on Bronny’s first basket, credited the rookie’s performance despite the relatively simple statistical line.

“I was just happy to see him come out and show the world that he can play,” Olivari said. “I think I’m a big believer in emphasizing that he’s a great basketball player and that the criticism he’s getting is unfair.”

South Bay coach Zach Guthrie, who was hired this offseason to replace Dane Johnson, called Bronny’s defense a bright spot.

“I think he did a great job of dictating the ball,” Guthrie said. “He played great, he played unselfish, he played in the flow of the game. And I thought, like all our guards, we defended at a high level. We were talking about dictating. They didn’t feel comfortable in their attack.”

The outsized attention that being LeBron James’ son has generated for the rookie thus far: “We want Bronny!” chants have already been a nightly occurrence at Lakers road games this season — followed him to the South Bay. His gold No. 9 Lakers uniform with “James Jr.” on the back was the only jersey for sale in the team store. And when the South Bay starters were introduced by the announcer, Bronny was saved for last — an award normally reserved for a team’s star.

Not to mention Lakers coach JJ Redick, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and teammates Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell all appeared on the court, along with his parents – LeBron and Savannah – and his younger sister, Zhuri. .

“It’s one of the great stories in basketball,” Salt Lake coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “When you see him there, it’s exciting. It’s exciting for the G League and it brings attention to our league. And we have one of the best leagues in the world. Maybe the third best league in the world, behind the NBA and EuroLeague And they are truly the future stars of the game. His story not only brings attention to South Bay, but to the league in general and the guys who play in the league.”

South Bay sold out the game — about 700 tickets — after only five sold-out games in 24 home games last season.

“I’ve seen all the buzz about me going to G,” Bronny said. “It’s just a great experience for me to play my game and get some minutes under me. I’m just excited about it.”

Bronny will be with the Lakers on Sunday for their game against the Toronto Raptors. South Bay’s next game is Friday on the road against the Santa Cruz Warriors. They will play again next Sunday in El Segundo against the Stockton Kings.

Joey Buss, president and CEO of South Bay, said Bronny’s future plans — moving back and forth between the Lakers and the G League — are not set in stone.

“That will be fluid,” Buss told ESPN. “We’re going to do what’s best for his development. There’s going to be a lot of things we do for all player assignments and decisions are made based on where they are, based on the injury status, based on the number of bodies they have need to practice. There are a lot of variables, so nothing unique to Bronny. He’s just in that system.