This contest against Oklahoma City was considered to be a measuring stick game for Los Angeles. What we learned after watching them get embarrassed, losing 121-92 on the road, is that the Lakers have a long way to go before they can claim to be anywhere near the Thunder’s greatness.
No one in a Lakers uniform should be pleased with how they played.
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.
Luka Dončić
33 minutes, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-20 FG, 1-7 3PT, 4-7 FT, -31
This is about as bad a game as Luka has played all year. He never really found an offensive rhythm. He shot poorly from deep, going 1-7 and his free-throw shooting was also bad.
On Wednesday night, he went 4-7 from the free-throw line. Dončić will bounce back just fine, but against the Thunder he was a shell of himself.
Grade: D-
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Austin Reaves
30 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-12 FG, 0-5 3PT, 5-6 FT, -24
Reaves didn’t do anything well in Oklahoma City. He had a game-high five turnovers and failed to make any 3-point shots.
The only positive aspect is that he was honest about the team’s performance during his postgame media availability.
I’m not sure if you burn this tape or watch it repeatedly to get better, but regardless, Reaves was not good.
Grade: F
Deandre Ayton
26 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, 3-5 FG, 0-1 FT, -18
Ayton didn’t get as involved offensively tonight. The team really struggled to get him looks, and he didn’t find other ways to be effective on the floor. Once the Thunder’s lead got out of control in the second quarter, Ayton disappeared.
Grade: C-
Rui Hachimura
33 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -35
On paper, Rui didn’t have a bad game. He shot nearly 50% from the field, converted on 40% of his 3-point attempts and grabbed five rebounds. However, when watching the game, he wasn’t that good defensively and over half of his points came during the second half, when the contest was out of reach.
Grade: C-
Marcus Smart
28 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 1-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, 6-6 FT, -21
Smart is a very good defender and a great part of this Lakers roster, but this isn’t the type of game he can play much in. The Lakers were quickly down and needed someone who could score and give life to LA’s stagnant offense. Smart isn’t that guy and his intangibles mean nothing if the team he’s on can’t score.
Grade: C-
Jake LaRavia
22 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-6 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, -9
The Lakers needed some bench scoring and LaRavia couldn’t deliver. LaRavia didn’t do much well against the Thunder. He has to be better.
Grade: F
Dalton Knecht
19 minutes, 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 6-7 FG, 4-5 3PT, 0-2 FT, -1
This performance by Knecht is bait for the box score watchers. If you just look at his stats, you might think this was a good game from Dalton.
However, 11 of his points came during garage time. When the game was being played seriously, he was mercilessly attacked by the Thunder and they scored on him at will.
If he can’t improve as a defender, he won’t be in the NBA for a long time.
Grade: F
Jaxson Hayes
14 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-1 FG, -17
Hayes scored once, played very little and grabbed a couple of rebounds. He is far from the main reason Los Angeles lost, but he wasn’t exactly dominating either.
Grade: D
Jarred Vanderbilt
19 minutes, 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, -1
All things considered, Vanderbilt played okay.
He was trying out there and even hit a 3-pointer. Similar to Smart, since Vanderbilt is more of a defensive specialist, his impact can’t really be felt in a game where the Lakers were trailing for most of the time by double figures.
Grade: C-
Bronny James, Maxi Kleber
Bronny and Maxi played for under ten minutes, so they will not be receiving a grade.
JJ Redick
There’s not much Redick could’ve done differently in this game. He played his guys, and they got destroyed. He called timeouts and tried to calm things down, but the Thunder never slowed down. Redick gave them a chance to rally in the third quarter, but it never happened.
Grade: C-
Wednesday’s inactives: LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Adou Thiero
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
