Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 116-113 Game 4 loss to the Wolves.
While Game 3 was not a must-win by definition, the importance of the contest was exemplified by head coach JJ Redick’s decision — and more on this later — to go with his five-man lineup for the entire second half.
He pushed his chips into the middle of the table, searching for a win that would have regained them control of the series. But the Lakers finished about one clutch play short of making good on his bet.
Now, after back-to-back gut-punch losses in Minnesota, the Lakers are down 3-1 and staring a first round exit in the face. No matter how flawed the roster was, particularly after the Luka Dončić trade, the way this series has played out has sure made these results tough to swallow.
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
41 minutes, 23 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 9-16 FG, 5-10 3PT, +0
Opinions on Rui in this series have been more divisive than I expected coming into this game, but there’s nothing to argue in this one. He was fantastic offensively and maintained his high level defensively. He stepped up big in this one.
Grade: A-
LeBron James
46 minutes, 27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 5-9 FG, 2-4 3PT, 15-18 FT, -4
Of all the ways LeBron has been incredible during his time in LA, this series has presented a new one. In the second half and fourth quarter on Sunday, LeBron was unbelievable. He made big play after big play on that end, whether it was a block or a steal.
If not for a camera angle seemingly straight from a military drone, he would have had another huge stop late. He took a backseat offensively — a luxury he should be afforded with Luka on the team — in the fourth quarter but my word was he incredible on the other end.
Grade: A
Jaxson Hayes
I hope he has played his last minutes as a Laker.
Austin Reaves
35 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6-14 FG, 5-12 3PT, +5
In the first half, Austin was as bad as he’s been all series, to the point that he was second-guessing things on the floor. It’s a really bad spot to be in.
He bounced back in the third with some big shots, but he also missed multiple big 3-pointers that would have been huge for the Lakers in the fourth.
If this was Austin of two years ago, you might be able to overlook that. But expectations have changed for him and he hasn’t been good enough this series.
Grade: C-
Luka Dončić
46 minutes, 38 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 13-28 FG, 5-12 3PT, 7-7 FT, -3
Luka, along with LeBron, was brilliant in the first half. The pair became the first Lakers duo since Shaq and Kobe in 2002 to each have a 20-point half together. He was then great in the third quarter with 10 more points.
But the fourth quarter was not pretty. He went 1-6 in that frame, missed both his long-range efforts and if not for being bailed out by a Julius Randle foul on a 3-pointer, it would have been even uglier.
Even if he was much better on Sunday, playing him 46 minutes two days after he barely looked like he could walk due to illness wasn’t ideal, but the Lakers needed him down the stretch. LeBron was doing everything he could on one end and the idea is to have Luka carry you on the other. He couldn’t answer that bell.
His grade depends on how much you weigh that fourth quarter with the other three.
Grade: B+
Dorian Finney-Smith
41 minutes, 6 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 2-7 FG, 2-6 3PT, -5
The Lakers finally made the move in the second half that most expected to come at the start the game by moving Finney-Smith into the starting lineup. The immediate result was a 13-0 run as they grabbed control of the game.
While he could have knocked down a couple more shots, getting eight boards and six assists from DFS feels like huge bonuses. Unfortunately, they would be nicer if they came with a win and not the silver lining to a loss.
Grade: B+
Gabe Vincent
13 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 steals, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3PT, -7
Of the bench players who didn’t feature in the second half, Vincent had the biggest argument for a few minutes. However, his shot wasn’t falling and he doesn’t really provide a lot of value offensively outside of that.
There are only so many hustle guys that are good defenders than you can have before they just become repetitive.
Grade: D+
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin
And to that point, Vando and Goodwin were fine in this game. But neither scored, Goodwin only took two shots and they just feel duplicative on the floor together. I can understand why they didn’t play in the second half with offense so hard to come by in this series.
Still, you possibly could have gone to at least one of them to steal some minutes for LeBron, Luka or Austin to rest. But consider how much of a non-factor they are offensively and how much Minnesota ignores them, you can see what Redick’s thinking was for sitting them.
The hope is that, on a less flawed roster, there is an alternative. That doesn’t exist on this roster.
JJ Redick
Well. Redick’s decision will be the big talking point after this game. He rolled the dice and bet big on his five guys being the best option for the whole second half.
It was decision that, for many, was going to be based on the result of the game. To be fair, he’s in a results-based profession. And the Lakers did not win, so it’s not going to be a fun time for him.
As much as you can make the argument as to why it’s hard to play various players on the Lakers bench in a vacuum, it also looked pretty clear that they were dragging along as this game came to an end.
The golden spot was at the beginning of the fourth when the Lakers led by double digits. In theory, he could have subbed out Luka or LeBron there, gotten them a few minutes of rest and brought them back in.
It’s going to be a decision that’ll be examined a lot with the extra day of rest before Game 5, especially because the Lakers now trailed 3-1 in the series.
For what it’s worth, in the moment, I understood the gamble and probably even agreed with it. You had an extra day of rest and the Lakers were clicking for much of the third and fourth.
And with 90 seconds left after a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched a huge defensive stop to give the Lakers a lead, it looked like it might work out. It’s an entirely different conversation if he makes this gamble and they win, stealing back control of the series. It’s talk of a rookie head coach trusting his gut, making a huge gamble and having it pay off in a big way.
But you can’t judge on ifs and maybes. It didn’t work. And he’s going to have to accept the blame on that one.
Grade: D
Sunday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, Alex Len, Shake Milton, Markieff Morris
Sunday’s inactives: Maxi Kleber
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.