Grades for LeBron James, Austin Reaves in Lakers loss to Grizzlies

There was no Anthony Davis or Rui Hachimura for the Lakers in their game against the Grizzlies. With two starters out, anyone not named LeBron James struggled to put the ball in the basket. Memphis, on the other hand, had seven players in double figures.

The Grizzlies never trailed, but broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 38-26. Los Angeles finished their five-game road trip with a 1-4 record and is now .500 on the season.

So let’s dive into the loss. As always, ratings are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance of that player.

LeBron James

35 minutes, 39 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 15-24 FG, 6-11 3PT, 3-4 FT, -21

The only reason the Lakers even had a hint of a chance to win this game is because of LeBron.

He was, in a word, fantastic.

LeBron scored 39 points and hit a game-high six 3-pointers. His back and forth with Ja Morant in the second quarter was a fun moment. Bron got the better of him, scored over Ja and made the “too small” gesture as a return for him doing it to Gabe Vincent one possession before.

After the game, JJ Redick praised his oldest player for giving the best effort on the team. At 39 and 40, it’s still exciting to see the levels Bron can reach.

Tonight, LeBron also added another unreal accomplishment to his resume: 1,500 regular season appearances, the sixth most in NBA history.

Grade: A

Jackson Hayes

35 minutes, 8 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-6 FG, 2-2 FT, -13

With AD out, Hayes played 35 minutes. That’s far too much time, given his ability, and that’s exactly what we saw against the Grizzlies. He was unable to hold his own against the Memphis bigs and couldn’t look like a starter, even for one night.

Grade: C-

D’Angelo Russell

22 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-12 FG, 2-9 3PT, 2-2 FT, -9

Redick pulled Russell in the second half. He played six minutes in the third and none in the final quarter. After the game, Redick called out his level of competition.

Needless to say, it was not a good match for Russell. We’ll see how Russell takes this criticism and if there are any long-term consequences of Redick benching him in the fourth.

Grade: D

Dalton Knecht

27 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1-17 FG, 1-7 3PT, -14

It was the first career start for Knecht, but he was a fish out of water out there. He couldn’t find a rhythm or his 3-point shot. It’s hard to be disappointed with a rookie starting in the outfield, but he should at least shoot league average from deep.

Grade: C

Austin Reaves

35 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 7-17 FG, 2-9 3PT, 3-4 FT, -9

With so many other players disappointing, Reaves doesn’t get enough attention for how much he has struggled.

It has been a tough eight games. There were a lot of good looks from deep that he failed to convert, and with AD out, someone had to step up, but he didn’t answer that call.

Grade: D

Cam Reddish

26 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5-7 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-4 FT, +0

The end of October to the beginning of November is officially Cam Reddish season. He played well against the Grizzlies and, along with his defensive play, contributed 15 points on the offensive end.

I’m skeptical that it can last, but Reddish was the best backup Wednesday night.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

23 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2-8 FG, 1-6 3PT, 1-2 FT, -15

Vincent was called out of the Redick pregame for going 18 minutes and not even attempting a field goal in the Lakers’ previous game against the Pistons.

He responded by taking eight shots but only making two of them.

I’m starting to think a spot in the rotation for Vincent doesn’t make much sense.

Grade: D+

Christian Koloko

13 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1-2 FG, -4

With Koloko having just been medically cleared to play, it wasn’t ideal to be in a situation where he had to be on the floor for 13 minutes a game.

He did well, all things considered. Koloko gave a good defensive effort and had a nice block on Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia.

If AD has to miss more time, I expect Koloko’s minutes to increase going forward.

Grade: B

Max Christie

19 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, -3

Christie is not the first player off the bench anymore. He played 19 minutes and looked mediocre. Nothing Christie did was particularly impressive or stood out.

Hopefully this is just an early season slump and not an indication that the franchise overestimated his abilities.

Grade: C-

Bronny James

A five-minute run for Bronny in garbage time, there’s not much to say about his game. It was just some cardio and a few free throws for the rookie.

JJ Redick

With Russell playing Reddish over Christie, Darvin Ham and Redick might have more in common than we thought.

Hard to be mad at the coaching with two starters out. Redick did everything he could to turn a loss into a win, but it just didn’t happen.

Grade: C

Wednesday’s inactive: Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Quincy Olivari, Armel Traore, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.