Players Grades: Lakers vs. Warriors

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 111-97 loss against the Warriors.

Lakers coach JJ Redick essentially treated the Tuesday preseason game versus the Golden State Warriors as a dress rehearsal for the team.

He played his starting five and utilized his nine-man rotation during the first half, but he didn’t get the result, losing 111-107.

Individual performances were mixed for Los Angeles, but one obvious area for improvement is 3-point shooting; the Lakers shot 11-40 from deep.

That’s nearly half of their 95 field goal attempts and if they’re going to convert on only 25% of their shots from downtown, then that math won’t result in many victories when the games count later this month.

For now, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Anthony Davis

26 minutes, 24 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 10-14 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-5 FT, +3

AD was a monster against the Warriors. He led the team in both points and rebounds, only missed four shots and looked like the best player on either team.

One offensive play stood out to me in particular. In the third quarter, he had Trayce Jackson-Davis guarding him one-on-one. He backed him down and did his turnaround jumper over him, hitting nothing but net.

While jogging back on defense, AD just shook his head as if to say, “That guy can’t guard me at all.” It wasn’t just Jackson-Davis who had trouble defending AD; no one fared well.

Bron might be the leader, but the Lakers will only go as far as AD can take them.

Grade: A

Rui Hachimura

28 minutes, 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 5-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, -7

These were some good Hachimura minutes. He was aggressive in the paint, attacking the rim, finishing with authority, cleaning up the glass and pulling nine rebounds.

Hachimura could’ve been a bit more efficient, but all things considered, he had a solid showing in Vegas. Not all of us can say this when we hang around Sin City.

Grade: B+

LeBron James

23 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-9 FG, -13

This was LeBron phoning it in and just getting some cardio. He never tried to significantly impact this game and was just out there for the vibes.

I have zero concern with how LeBron plays but if I have to judge the effort and focus he did not have it today and that seems to be a choice he made.

Grade: D

Austin Reaves

17 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-8 FG, 2-6 3PT, 5-6 FT, -10

Reaves’ availability was shaky due to his sore ankle, but he was cleared to play and was on a minutes restriction.

He gave great effort out there, knocking down a pair of threes, scoring 13 points, and having to chase around Steph Curry on a bum ankle. Give him credit; he made sure the Lakers had their dress rehearsal with everyone expected to be available on Opening Night.

Fans just want players who are as invested in the game as they are and today was a small example of how Reaves regularly exemplifies that mantra, the Mamba Mentality.

Grade: B+

D’Angelo Russell

30 minutes, 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2-10 FG, 2-6 3PT, +2

Russell did well initiating the offense and pushing the ball up the floor. He struggled hitting his shots on offense and on defense...I mean, you already know how he was on defense.

D’Angelo did have a nice moment in the third quarter where he hit a couple of deep shots and looked like he was going to spark a comeback, but it was just a blip in his subpar 30 minutes of play.

Grade: C-

Max Christie

16 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3PT, -10

Christie was superb on defense, embracing the challenge of chasing down Buddy Hield most of the night. He was focused, denied the ball well, and contested jumpers when they went up.

Ideally, Christie will be a little more aggressive with his shots. He only took three and missed them all. If he’s going to be the first off the bench, defensive play is a great baseline, but he’ll need to provide more offensively.

Grade: B-

Gabe Vincent

15 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 0-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, -5

Theoretically, having Vincent back and healthy to start the year is good. What he’s contributed still leaves a lot to be desired. You have to make some shots and be beyond a replacement-level player.

Vincent wasn’t the only Laker who couldn’t put the ball in the hoop, but he has to be better and they need more from him if he’s going to play a couple shifts a night.

Grade: C

Jaxson Hayes

19 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2-2 FG, -15

The Hayes minutes with AD have looked good under coach Redick. He seems to be fitting well and not playing beyond what he’s good at, scoring in the paint and being a ball of energy.

If he can keep this up, Hayes might be guaranteed his playing time regardless of when Christian Wood returns.

Grade: B

Dalton Knecht

21 minutes, 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-15 FG, 5-13 -3

Knecht giveth, Knecht taketh away. During the first three quarters, he was poor. The Warriors were targeting mercilessly and he didn’t handle his defensive assignments well. His shot was ice cold, shooting 1-5 from the field.

In the fourth, he warmed up and shot 5-9, hitting four 3-pointers. So, how do you rate one amazing quarter with G-Leaguers and three subpar ones when the game was serious? I split the difference and gave him a below-average grade.

Grade: C+

Cam Reddish, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bronny James, Colin Castleton, Maxwell Lewis

Under ten minutes for these players so no grades for them tonight. Here’s a couple of notes

• It was fun hearing the crowd chant for Bronny James. He had a nice bucket near the rim, but that was about it.
• JHS had a rough game and that’s a bummer. He’s struggling to make an impact right now.
• Reddish playing so little is a surprise to me, I think he’ll play more in the next couple preseason contests.

JJ Redick

For the time being, I like what Redick has done. He took this game seriously and it’s hard to be mad at preseason rotations. I like how he used his timeouts, and overall, I am happy with his process and methodology.

The 3-point shooting I am still not a fan of the volume, given the conversation rate, but it’s early. We’ll grade Redick when he’s actually trying to win a game. Tonight was about trying out the rotations, getting some more tape on these guys, and coming out healthy. They were successful on all three fronts. We’ll grade Redick once the results count for something.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.