Well, if we’ve learned anything over the last two weeks, it’s that the Lakers absolutely do not have it.
They have had different lineups, different rotations, different teams and different settings. In all but one — which barely counts since it is against the Kings — they not only lost, but did so in blowout fashion.
Tuesday offered a little bit of hope for three quarters against the Pistons, but then the fourth quarter happened and Detroit turned it up a gear that LA could not remotely match on either
end. The result was an eight-point game that turned into a 20-point blowout in a flash.
It was a familiar script in which the Lakers couldn’t stop anyone defensively, couldn’t score enough to keep pace and got crushed in transition and bench production.
What’s left to say, then? Clearly changes need to be made, but more than just starting lineup tweaks and rotation changes. Until that happens, it’s hard to imagine any substantive improvements, especially against good teams.
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
32 minutes, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers, 1 foul, 6-17 FG, 3-10 3PT, 2-5 FT, -16
From the jump, LeBron looked fully content on coasting through this one. The Lakers can not afford to have him coast through any game and particularly one against a good team.
Grade: F
Jake LaRavia
38 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block, 3-9 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, -18
Every good LaRavia play seemingly was followed by a bad one. Come up with a steal? Well we’re going to dribble it off a teammate’s foot and out of bounds.
Grade: C
Deandre Ayton
26 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 5-8 FG, -9
One of the few complaints from previous fanbases regarding Ayton was that he was soft. I don’t like throwing that label around because of the connotation that comes with it, but in the two games against Houston and Detroit in the last week, he finished with a combined four rebounds.
Grade: F
Marcus Smart
25 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, 4-4 FT, -24
Smart’s green light as a shooter is way too green for the type of shooter he is.
Grade: C
Luka Dončić
36 minutes, 30 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 8 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-22 FG, 3-11 3PT, 9-13 FT, -15
One of the more unserious displays from Luka this season, especially in the fourth quarter. Maybe it was the injury, but the effort wasn’t there.
Grade: F
Jarred Vanderbilt
28 minutes, 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 3-3 FG, 2-2 3PT, -17
Which version of Vando do you believe as a shooter? The one who went 4-14 from three to start the year or the one who is now 10-19 over the last seven games?
Grade: B-
Jaxson Hayes
18 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 5-5 FG, 3-5 FT, -17
He was more effective than Ayton in this game, but that’s not really saying he was good really. If your two centers combine for four rebounds, it’s going to be an awful night.
Grade: C
Nick Smith Jr.
17 minutes, 3 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-6 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, -2
As good as he was on Sunday, Smith Jr. looked brutal on Tuesday. His first stint was a disaster in many ways and set the tone for his whole game.
Grade: F
Maxi Kleber, Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James
The latter three featured in garbage time while Kleber got one run in the first half in a two-big lineup that looked bad.
JJ Redick
Do you knock JJ for not having answers or give him a pass because he’s at least trying things?
He tried a two-big look with Kleber and Hayes, but it was with LeBron, which was a head scratcher. He pulled the plug on NSJ pretty quickly in the first half, but they don’t have guards who can bring the ball up right now outside of him.
He tried a zone defense, but then the team couldn’t rebound. The team couldn’t get a stop in transition.
Grade: D
Tuesday’s inactives: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Drew Timme, Chris Manon
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
