The Lakers have had many a frustrating loss this season, particularly over the last month, but Monday’s will rank near the top.
In what has become a recurring nightmare, the purple and gold couldn’t hit an outside shot, couldn’t get defensive stops and got run off the court by an inferior team. That it came against the rival Kings certainly made it an even more bitter pill to swallow.
This game marked the beginning of one of the team’s toughest stretches of the season and it feels like a pretty ominous
start to a stretch of five games in seven days.
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
33 minutes, 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-17 FG, 0-5 3PT, 6-6 FT, -9
LeBron was one of the few Lakers who came out with a serious approach from the jump. The problem was, he wasn’t very good.
Grade: C+
Jake LaRavia
31 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-7 FG, 0-5 3PT, -10
Just when it feels like Jake has started to establish himself and is making a really strong case for the fifth starter spot, he has an absolute dud like this, which has happened multiple times this season.
Grade: F
Deandre Ayton
27 minutes, 13 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 4-7 FG, 5-8 FT, -12
It didn’t feel like a great Ayton game, but the stats say it was. Maybe that was more because of the energy Jaxson Hayes played with.
Grade: B+
Marcus Smart
31 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, -20
Just one more jumper Marcus. Just one more fourth quarter shot and I’m sure it’ll go in.
Four of his five shots came in the fourth. None of them went in. It was a brutal stretch of the Lakers trying to put together a rally, the ball finding Smart open for a shot and then watching it careen off the rim.
Grade: D
Luka Dončić
37 minutes, 42 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 16-25 FG, 2-9 3PT, 8-8 FT, -10
Where would the Lakers have been in this game without Luka? An MVP-level performance completely wasted.
Grade: A+
Jarred Vanderbilt
26 minutes, 4 rebounds, 3 fouls, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3PT, -3
Vando is now 1-14 from three in the last five games. That hot stretch was fun while it lasted.
Grade: F
Gabe Vincent
18 minutes, 9 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 3-6 FG, 3-5 3PT, -7
This felt like his best game since his return. In fact, there was probably an argument for him to close the game.
Grade: B+
Jaxson Hayes
19 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 5-6 FG, 2-4 FT, -4
This felt like one of Hayes’ more impactful performances in recent games, highlighted by his four offensive rebounds.
Grade: A-
Dalton Knecht
13 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3PT, +3
There’s not much left to say about Knecht at this point. He comes in the game, misses more shots than he makes and can’t hang defensively. Then, when the benches empty, he’ll score a basket or two to make his final line look a bit better.
Grade: F
Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Nick Smith Jr.
This group came in during garbage time and Bronny immediately made more of an impact than most of the rotation players.
JJ Redick
On one hand, I contend that Redick can’t do much with the players he has. But he also isn’t doing himself favors. As noted, he perhaps should have closed with Vincent and that Knecht keeps getting minutes over giving Bronny any chance at all is hard to rationalize.
But neither of those things were going to turn this result or make the Lakers hit open shots, which they just can’t do.
Grade: C+
Monday’s DNPs: Rui Hachimura
Monday’s inactives: Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon, Drew Timme, Austin Reaves
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
