Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 131-119 loss to the Jazz.
Well, that game happened. The Lakers had one more contest left on the schedule before their All-Star break. They played the Utah Jazz for the second time in a row and had rotation players Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith out.
Given a pause in NBA action looming, key guys out and a one-game road trip, this had all the makings of a trap game. And it was exactly that as the Lakers ended up getting blown out and putting up little to no resistance once the Jazz took control of the game in the second half.
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.
Rui Hachimura
30 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 8-15 FG, 3-5 3PT, 0-1 FT, -16
Hachimura had one of the better games for the Lakers on Wednesday. His shooting was respectable as he knocked down some 3-pointers. However, the rebounding was bad and the defense was questionable at best. When the Lakers are playing this poorly, Rui really has to play a lot better to impact the game.
Grade: C
LeBron James
34 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 6-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-4 FT, -10
This was as uninterested as LeBron has been all season. The trap game locked him up and once he noticed the team was struggling in the second quarter, he followed them and called it a game.
I won’t be too upset about LeBron’s performance. If there’s ever a game you can get a pass on, it is the last matchup before All-Star weekend.
Grade: D
Luka Dončić
23 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6-13 FG, 3-8 3PT, 1-5 FT, -19
Luka had some nice stepback 3-pointers and looked a bit more comfortable in his second game as a Laker. He’s still on a minutes restriction and you can tell he still needs some time to get into a rhythm and be the dominant player he’s known to be. Hopefully, the next time the Lakers play, he will begin to find his groove.
Grade: C
Austin Reaves
36 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, 4-15 FG, 1-10 3PT, 6-18 FT, -13
This was a rough performance by Reaves. Defensively, he was forgettable, from 3-point range he was atrocious going 1-10 and Reaves even missed a pair of free throws. Feel free to burn the tape from this game there is not much to learn from it.
Grade: D
Jarred Vanderbilt
17 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1-3 FG, 1-1 3PT, 0-2 FT, -12
If you believe Vanderbilt’s impact is overblown, this game is great evidence for your claim. Vando was bobbling passes, unable to finish near the rim and made little defensive impact as the Jazz continued to rack up points while he was on the floor.
Grade: F
Alex Len
22 minutes, 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2-5 FG, -9
Alex Len, come on down! Well, on second thought, maybe take a seat. The center was acquired via the buyout market and had to play a bigger role against the Jazz due to Jaxson Hayes getting hurt in the middle of the game.
During those minutes, the rim rejected his dunk, he was a turnstile defensively and looked like a baby deer trying to walk and failing to do so on the floor.
Len is an end-of-bench guy who gives the Lakers some depth and if fans have any dreams of him being an impactful player, this should bring you back to reality.
It was wise to pick him up, but if he plays during crunch time or has to be on the court beyond a shift, you are in trouble.
Grade: F
Shake Milton
12 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, +5
Milton certainly knows how to go get a bucket. For better or worse, he’s a shot chucker and when it’s going well, you reap the rewards. In this game, Milton didn’t negatively impact the Lakers much. He made a couple of shots, grabbed a handful of rebounds and his night ended.
Grade: B
Jordan Goodwin
17 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, -3
After a couple of great games, Goodwin came down to earth in Utah. He wasn’t a great ball-stopper and his offense evaporated. Goodwin is on a two-way, so time will tell if those early games were just a flash in the pan or if this poor performance is actually the anomaly.
Grade: C
Dalton Knecht
17 minutes, 10 points, 1 steal, 3-7 FG, 3-7 3PT, 1-2 FT, -3
All Lakers fans should be giving Knecht a standing ovation for this game. After being traded away to the Hornets and coming back due to the trade being rescinded, he returned and got back in his flow.
It was all 3-point attempts for Dalton and he had a solid game scoring in double figures. Knecht is a rookie and he handled all of this well. If this odd situation bothers him, he certainly pushed that to the side and played well in a Lakers uniform once again.
Grade: A
Bronny James, Jaxson Hayes, Markieff Morris, Christian Koloko
All four of these players didn’t play long enough to justify a grade. Hayes got hurt and missed most of the game, causing him to play under ten minutes. Bronny had some nice buckets in garbage time, but that was about it for things worth mentioning from this quartet.
JJ Redick
We didn’t see Redick screaming and shouting in this loss. It seems that he realized his team was tired, the trap game got them and he was going to give them grace this one time. Sometimes, yelling is not the answer and losses will happen. Overall, the Lakers have been playing great and this defeat shouldn’t erase all that.
Grade: B
Wednesday’s inactives: Dorian Finney-Smith, Trey Jemison III, Cam Reddish, Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.