Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 127-100 loss to the Suns.
With an absent defense and an offense that couldn’t convert on a 3-pointer, the Lakers lost their third game in a row on Tuesday, falling to the Suns 127-100.
It was their first-ever defeat in NBA Cup action, putting their chances of heading to Las Vegas and repeating in serious jeopardy.
More importantly, they looked a tier or two below the Suns, just as they did against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
At 10-7, they are dropping games against teams above .500 at an alarming rate and, if things don’t change soon, they’ll be back near the bottom of the Western Conference standings soon enough.
Okay, that’s enough doom and gloom 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.
23 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, -10
This wasn’t a great Rui game. He was consistently beaten defensively, struggled from 3-point range and contributed next to nothing on the glass. Now, most of the players on the Lakers also struggled in these areas of the game, but Hachimura was more so part of the problem than the solution in Phoenix.
If he's going to remain a starter on this team, he has to produce more.
Grade: C
35 minutes, 18 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 7-16 FG, 2-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, -30
It turns out Father Time can’t stop LeBron James, but indifference just might. This was another lackadaisical, uninterested game from LeBron. He was careless with basketball, with five turnovers, and seemed interested in fighting back when the Suns went on a run during the third quarter.
There’s pacing yourself and there’s quiet quitting, LeBron is flirting far too much with the latter.
Grade: C-
35 minutes, 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 10-19 FG, 0-2 3PT, 5-7 FT, -24
This game was a nice bounceback for AD. He was a monster on the glass and scored well inside the paint. He was one of the few, if not the only, Lakers player with a good defensive game, registering six blocks.
This team needs to fix many problems, but luckily, Davis is not one of them.
Grade: B+
23 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, +1
Reddish missed some good looks that could’ve helped the Lakers’ stalling offense, but overall, he played his role. His job on this team is to be a solid defender and do the dirty work and he did that at a respectable level.
Grade: C-
31 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 6-12 FG, 2-6 3PT, 1-1 FT, -16
Reaves had a good first half, scoring 12 points and going 5-6 from the field. After that, he fell apart, missing jumper after jumper in the second half and creating zero impact on the game.
It’s been a while since Reaves has put together an entire night of good basketball and the Lakers need him to like a fish needs water.
Grade: D+
29 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 5-13 FG, 1-6 3PT, 5-8 FT, -23
On the positive side, Russell was able to contribute offensively, scoring 16 points off the bench. However, he is still passing up good looks from three and he’s shooting poorly on the shots that he does take.
One of his biggest strengths last season was his 3-point shooting, but he’s averaging 28% from deep this year and went 1-6 agaisnt the Suns from beyond the arc.
It’s clear this offense is not built around his ability to run a unit and work off pick-and-rolls, but he has to figure out how to get his shot back, or else it will be harder and harder to justify playing him so many minutes.
Grade: C
20 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2-7 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-3 FT, -20
While fans are clamoring for Knecht to stay with the starters, this performance in Phoenix was a mixed bag. He struggled to get looks at the basket and only hit one 3-pointer and scored his other field goal on a wonderful lob from LeBron.
This was a mediocre Knecht game during an ugly loss. Redick has to balance giving the rookie enough time while not overwhelming him, but it certainly looks like his best moments are when he’s paired with the other starters.
Grade: C
14 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 1-1 FG, -9
Given how much the reserves have struggled, it’s nice to see Christie back in the rotation. It’d be even better if he impacted the game more. He took just one shot, didn’t grab any rebounds and, essentially, got some nice cardio during his 14 minutes of play.
During his pregame media availability, Redick mentioned Christie and Gabe Vincent are fighting for that ninth and final rotation spot. Based on this performance, Christie has not done quite enough to earn that position unquestionably.
JJ Redick said he’s tentatively considering a 10-man rotation — which he used against Denver with Rui Hachimura back — but he hasn’t made a definitive decision. He acknowledged the No. 9 spot is between Max Christie and Gabe Vincent. He said it could change game to game.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 27, 2024
Grade: C-
17 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2-2 FG, 3-4 FT, -8
Hayes during his first game back from an ankle injury. He missed a couple of passes, couldn’t grab a rebound and looked clumsy and lost, similar to how he played far too often last season.
The awful cherry on this disgusting sundae was Hayes hurting his ankle during the final minutes of this blowout loss. He had to be helped off the court because he couldn’t put weight on the same ankle he just recovered from.
Something tells me it won’t improve in time for a game that starts in less than 24 hours against the Spurs.
Grade: D
14 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block +4
Given what a bad Vincent game looks like, this was not horrendous. It’s nowhere near enough to justify 14 minutes of play, but hey, Vincent is low on the priority list of things that went bad for the Lakers in this loss.
Grade: C-
No grade for Koloko due to playing just the final minute of this game due to Hayes going down.
How much blame do you put on a coach when the personnel can’t execute a game plan? It’s hard to blame Redick for these losses, but he is in charge and accountability starts at the top.
For now, he won’t get dinged much, but if this team continues to be one of the worst defenses in the NBA, he will have to eat that.
Grade: C-
Tuesday’s inactives: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bronny James, Quincy Olivari, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, Maxwell Lewis, Armel Traore
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
