In the playoffs, rotations shrink, but perhaps Lakers head coach JJ Redick will have to open his up a bit. The Lakers had only eight players who logged at least 10 minutes and with so many subpar performances, someone else needed to be called upon.
The Thunder had 10 players play more than 10 minutes and they got great production from Jared McCain. LA could’ve put Nick Smith Jr. in the game for a stretch to see if he could ignite the offense, especially in a game where Austin Reaves gave the team
nothing.
Yes, it’s a gamble, but clearly every option has to be explored if the Lakers are going to pull off an upset against the Thunder.
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
36 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 12-17 FG, 3-6 3PT, 0-1 FT, -6
LeBron set the tone early for the Lakers, scoring immediately, knocking down threes, and getting LA ahead 7-0. He stayed aggressive and was efficient, scoring 27 points on 12-17 shooting.
Once again, LeBron came to play and was far and away the best player in a purple and gold uniform. Hopefully, other starters follow his lead and up their game.
Grade: A
Rui Hachimura
37 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 1-2 FT, -21
Hachimura played at his expected level. He knocked down shots and was a three-level scorer for the Lakers. Despite the disappointing loss, Hachimura reached a satisfactory level of consistency.
Grade: B
Deandre Ayton
27 minutes, 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 5-11 FG, -4
Ayton was aggressive early and had an overall nice game with a double-double. His defense against the Thunder bigs was good, and while many things went wrong for the purple and gold, Ayton wasn’t one of them.
Grade: B
Marcus Smart
32 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-15 FG, 2-8 3PT, 2-2 FT, -10
Smart was a bit of a roller coaster. He had some great defensive moments, was fighting for loose balls and knocked down some nice shots. He also had some silly turnovers and frustrating plays, taking shots he had no business taking.
There is no room for error against the Thunder, so he has to make better decisions.
Grade: C
Austin Reaves
36 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-16 FG, 0-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, -10
Reaves was awful.
The Lakers need more from him. It’s understandable he’s not at 100%, considering he is just coming back from his Grade 2 oblique strain, but these are the defending champions.
If Reaves can’t score in bunches and Luka Dončić doesn’t return, then they have no shot of winning this series.
Grade: F
Luke Kennard
29 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-4 FT, -14
As the playoff intensity has increased, Luke’s production has gone the other way. He’s still the best bench player the Lakers have, but that’s kind of the problem. Nothing can be done now, as this is the team they have, so Luke just needs to be more aggressive and take advantage of the opportunities he gets.
Grade: D
Jaxson Hayes
16 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 1-3 FG, 1-2 FT, -12
Hayes did his job in this game. He was a ball of energy and a willing and able defender. How a blocking call was overturned and became an offensive foul for Hayes in the third quarter is anybody’s guess.
Grade: B
Jake LaRavia
13 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1-2 FG, 1-1 3PT, -9
LaRavia’s offense was bad, his passes were suspect, and his defensive impact was minimal. He just isn’t playing well, and this level of competition seems a bit too much for him.
Grade: F
Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero, Nick Smith Jr., Bronny James, Dalton Knecht
Vando likely would’ve played more, but his night was cut short due to a dislocation of his right pinky. He had to exit the game, and we don’t know what his status will be moving forward.
Everyone else played for just a minute in garbage time.
JJ Redick
While I would’ve liked some other backcourt looks once it was clear Reaves didn’t have it, Redick did a solid job. The way he was able to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant, and he was smart with his timeouts, using them earlier than usual when he felt that OKC was going on a run.
His ATOs were very good. He had a brilliant one drawn up at the end of the second quarter that got LeBron a clean look at the basket. James missed it, but it was an example of how Redick can find an advantage and set his team up for success.
Grade: B
Tuesday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber
Tuesday’s inactives: Luka Dončić
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
