Player Grades: Lakers vs. Grizzlies

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 131-114 loss to the Grizzlies.

There was no Anthony Davis or Rui Hachimura for the Lakers in their matchup against the Grizzlies. With two starters out, anyone not named LeBron James struggled to put the ball in the basket. Memphis, on the other hand, had seven players in double figures.

The Grizzlies never trailed but opened the game up in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 38-26. Los Angeles ended their five-game road trip with a 1-4 record and is now .500 in the season.

So, 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.

LeBron James

35 minutes, 39 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 15-24 FG, 6-11 3PT, 3-4 FT, -21

The only reason the Lakers even had a whiff of a chance of winning this game is because of LeBron.

He was, in a word, stellar.

LeBron scored 39 points and hit a game-high six 3-pointers. His back-and-forth with Ja Morant in the second quarter was a fun moment. Bron got the better of him, scoring over Ja and doing the "too small" gesture as a get-back for him doing it to Gabe Vincent one possession before.

After the game, JJ Redick commended his oldest player for putting in the best effort on the team. At 39 going on 40, it's still jaw-dropping to see the levels Bron can reach.

Tonight, LeBron also added another unreal achievement to his resume: 1,500 regular season appearances, the sixth most in NBA history.

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

35 minutes, 8 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-6 FG, 2-2 FT, -13

With AD out, Hayes played 35 minutes. That's way too much time, given his skill and that's exactly what we saw against the Grizzlies. He was unable to hold his own versus the Memphis bigs and couldn't look like a starter, even for one night.

Grade: C-

D'Angelo Russell

22 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-12 FG, 2-9 3PT, 2-2 FT, -9

Redick pulled Russell in the second half. He played six minutes in the third and none in the closing quarter. After the game, Redick called out his level of compete.

Needless to say, it wasn't a good game for Russell. We'll see how Russell takes this criticism and if there are any long-term ramifications to Redick benching him in the fourth.

Grade: D

Dalton Knecht

27 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1-17 FG, 1-7 3PT, -14

It was the first career start for Knecht, but he was a fish out of water out there. He couldn't find a rhythm or his 3-point shot. It's hard to be disappointed with a rookie starting on the road, but he should at least shoot league-average from deep.

Grade: C

Austin Reaves

35 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 7-17 FG, 2-9 3PT, 3-4 FT, -9

With so many other players disappointing, Reaves is not getting enough attention for how much he's struggled.

It's been rough eight games in. There were a lot of good looks from deep that he failed to convert and with AD out, someone needed to step up, but he didn't answer that call.

Grade: D

Cam Reddish

26 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5-7 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-4 FT, +0

Late October through early November is officially Cam Reddish season. He played well against the Grizzlies and along with his defensive play, contributed a bench-high 15 points on the offensive end.

I'm skeptical that this can last, but Reddish was the best reserve on Wednesday night by far.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

23 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2-8 FG, 1-6 3PT, 1-2 FT, -15

Vincent was called out by Redick pregame for going 18 minutes and not even attempting a field goal in the Lakers' previous game against the Pistons.

He responded by taking eight shots but only making two of them.

I'm starting to think a spot in the rotation for Vincent doesn't make much sense.

Grade: D+

Christian Koloko

13 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1-2 FG, -4

With Koloko just getting medically cleared to play, being in a situation where he had to be on the floor for 13 minutes in a game wasn't ideal.

He handled it well, all things considered. Koloko gave a good defensive effort and had a nice rejection on Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia.

If AD has to miss more time, I expect Koloko's minutes to increase moving forward.

Grade: B

Max Christie

19 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, -3

Christie isn't the first player off the bench anymore. He played 19 minutes and looked mediocre. Nothing Christie did was particularly impressive or stood out.

Hopefully, this is just an early season slump and not an indication that the franchise overvalued his ability.

Grade: C-

Bronny James

A five-minute run for Bronny during garbage time, there is not much to say about his play. It was just some cardio and a pair of made free throws for the rookie.

JJ Redick

Benching Russell, playing Reddish over Christie, maybe Darvin Ham and Redick have more in common than we thought.

Hard to be mad at the coaching with two starters out. Redick did what he could to turn a loss into a win, but it just didn’t happen.

Grade: C

Wednesday's inactives: Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Quincy Olivari, Armel Traore, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.