Player Grades: Lakers vs. Rockets

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 119-115 loss to the Rockets.

There are numerous ways to come away from that Lakers game feeling.

As someone generally more optimistic, the Lakers played all the way to the final buzzer against one of the best teams in the Western Conference on the road.

If you’re a bit more pessimistic — or someone who calls themself a realist — then you probably come away from that game more discouraged by the Lakers’ lack of rebounding while also still holding concerns about how the Lakers match up against teams with lots of athleticism.

Ultimately, both things can be true. The Lakers showed they can compete with an elite team, but they still have some pretty glaring flaws.

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.

Rui Hachimura

28 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 5-9 FG, 3-6 3PT, 0-2 FT, +4

A rough night for Rui, who got pulled from the game early in the third quarter in favor of Dorian Finney-Smith. I do think he bounced back after that moment well and he was hitting some big shots throughout the game.

It’s led to a lot of reactions about tonight being the night he lost his starting spot. I wouldn’t go that far as I still have some reservations about starting DFS in place of Rui as it makes the Lakers quite a bit smaller in the front court.

That being said, if Rui is going to only grab one rebound on a night where they really needed his help on the glass, then you’re not missing much either.

Grade: C

LeBron James

36 minutes, 21 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 8-16 FG, 4-7 3PT, 1-2 FT, -13

One of the few players who actually was doing work on the glass and trying to hold his own. On top of that, LeBron was hitting some absurd shots in the third quarter.

I admit I was really surprised late in the game when, after the Lakers got a defensive stop down four with under 20 seconds left, LeBron drove straight to the rim as I fully expected a pull-up 3-pointer for a do-or-die hero shot.

I think that spoke to his level of engagement in this one.

Grade: A-

Anthony Davis

38 minutes, 30 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks, 10-18 FG, 2-4 3PT, 8-8 FT, +7

The Lakers’ two stars had it going on Sunday. AD started slow but really found his groove as the game went on. He, too, was competing as much as he could on the glass.

He also hit some enormous 3-pointers, one on the wing to pull them within five and one late in the game to make it a four-point game.

Like LeBron, he was also undone by some questionable officiating decisions down the stretch. But it’s hard to complain about what either star did in this one.

Grade: A

Max Christie

39 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4-8 FG, 2-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, +14

It was a solid game from Christie, who had some big plays throughout and stayed shooting well from the 3-point line. Defensively, he and Reaves struggled on some of the perimeter players for Houston, namely in Jalen Green.

But, that being said, Green scored 18 points in the first quarter, did nothing for a lengthy stretch of the game and then hit some big shots in the third and fourth quarters. It was a very streak game for him.

Grade: B+

Austin Reaves

42 minutes, 21 points, 10 assists, 6-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6-7 FT, +12

On one hand, Reaves tallied 10 assists to no turnovers in this one, a huge improvement for him as a ball-handler.

On the other hand, what a brutal night for him not to register one rebound. He typically rebounds above-average for his position, so it’s harsh to be too tough on him. But anything would have helped in that department in this one.

Grade: A-

Dorian Finney-Smith

26 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5-9 FG, 2-6 3PT, 1-1 FT, -6

For as impactful as it felt DFS was, I’m surprised by his stat line. It felt like he was making a number of big plays and big shots and the Lakers were better with him on the floor.

In the first half, his plus-minus was -19 before he was +13 in the second half.

Grade: B+

Dalton Knecht

17 minutes, 1 rebound, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, -3

Not to be too harsh on a rookie, but you can’t play 17 minutes and record a singular rebound as your only stat. Part of it is the Lakers not really having other options, but this was a rough outing for Dalton.

Grade: D

Shake Milton, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes

None of these guys played more than six minutes, which is revealing overall. A couple notes:

• This game fully revealed that Shake can’t hang defensively enough to be relied upon in any meaningful game, as I stated after last game.
• This should be the plug pulled on Hayes. Put Koloko in the rotation.

JJ Redick

As noted above, it’s interesting that Redick went to a seven-man rotation in the second half of this game. This speaks to how he and the team viewed this game and how much they wanted to win.

It also speaks to where the roster is right now. This team needs more changes and more depth.

Grade: B

Friday’s DNPs: Bronny James

Friday’s inactives: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Armel Traore, Quincy Olivari, Christian Wood, Christian Koloko, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.