Grades for LeBron, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves in Lakers Tab vs. Jazz

Well, that game happened. Lakers had another competition left on the schedule before their all-star break. They played Utah Jazz For the second time in a row and had rotation players Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith out.

Given a break in NBA-Action threatening, important guys out and a one-game road trip, this had all the context of a trap game. And that’s exactly what Lakers ended up being blown up and put a little to no resistance when jazz took control of the game in the second half.

So let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations of each player. A “B” degree represents the average benefit of that player.

Rui Hachimura

30 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 8-15 fg, 3-5 3pt, 0-1 ft, -16

Hachimura had one of the better games for Lakers Wednesday. His shooting was respectable when he knocked down some 3-Pointers. However, rebounding was bad and the defense was at best questionable. When lakers play this bad, Rui really has to play much better to influence the game.

Character: C.

LeBron James

34 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 6-13 fg, 4-8 3pt, 2-4 ft, -10

This was as uninterested as LeBron has been all season. The trap locked him up, and when he first noticed that the team was fighting in the second quarter, he followed them and called it a game.

I don’t want to be too sorry for lebron’s performance. If there’s ever a game you can get a care of, it’s the last matchup before all-star weekend.

Character: D.

Luka Dončić

23 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6-13 fg, 3-8 3pt, 1-5 ft, -19

Luka had some lovely Stepback 3-Pointers and looked a little more comfortable in her second game as a varnish. He is still at a minute’s limitation and you can tell that he still needs some time to get into a rhythm and be the dominant player he is known to be. Hopefully, next time Lakers plays, he starts finding his groove.

Character: C.

Austin Reaves

36 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, 4-15 fg, 1-10 3pt, 6-18 ft, -13

This was a rough performance of Reaves. Defensively he was forgetful, from 3-point reach he was cruel to walk 1-10 and Reaves even missed a couple of free kicks. Feel free to burn the tape from this game, there is not much to learn from it.

Character: D.

Jarred Vanderbilt

17 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1-3 fg, 1-1 3pt, 0-2 ft, -12

If you believe that Vanderbilt’s influence is excessive, this game is a good proof of your claim. Vando was bubbling passport, unable to end near the edge and had a little defensive influence as jazz continued to rack the points while on the floor.

Character: f

Alex Len

22 minutes, 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2-5 fg, -9

Alex Len, Come Down! At other thought you might take a seat. The center was acquired via the buyout market and had to play a bigger role against jazz because Jaxson Hayes was wounded in the middle of the game.

During these minutes, the edge rejected his can, he was a turnstil defensively and looked like a baby deer trying to walk and failed to do it on the floor.

Len is a guy who gives Lakers a depth and if fans have any dreams that he is an effective player, this will bring you back to reality.

It was wise to pick him up, but if he plays during crunch time or has to be on the field beyond a shift, you are in trouble.

Character: f

Shake Milton

12 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-5 fg, 1-2 3pt, 2-2 ft, +5

Milton definitely knows how to get a bucket. For better or for worse, he is a shot of chucker and when it goes well, you reap the benefits. In this game, Milton did not affect Lakers very negatively. He made a few shots, grabbed a handful of rebounds, and his night ended.

Character: B.

Jordan Goodwin

17 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-4 fg, 1-2 3pt, -3

After a few good games, Goodwin came down to the ground in Utah. He was not a big ball stopper and his offense evaporated. Goodwin is on a two -way, so time will show if these early games were just a flash in the pot or whether this bad performance is actually anomaly.

Character: C.

Dalton Knecht

17 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 3-7 fg, 3-7 3pt, 1-2 ft, -3

All Lakers fans must give Knecht a standing ovation for this game. After trading away to Hornets and returning because of the trade that was abolished, he returned and returned in his stream.

It was all 3-point attempts at Dalton and he had a solid game that scored in double. Knecht is a rookie and he handled all this well. If this strange situation bothers him, he certainly pushed it to the side and played well in a Laker’s uniform again.

Character: A.

Bronny James, Jaxson Hayes, Markieff Morris, Christian Coloko

All four of these players did not play long enough to justify a character. Hayes was injured and missed most of the game, causing him to play less than ten minutes. Bronny had some lovely buckets in garbage time, but it was about it for things worth mentioning from this quartet.

JJ Redick

We did not see Redick screaming and shouting in this loss. It looks like he realized his team was tired, the trap game got them, and he would give them grace this one time. Sometimes cries are not the answer and losses will happen. Overall, Lakers has played well and this defeat should not delete all that.

Character: B.

Wednesday’s inactives: Dorian Finney-Smith, Trey Jemison III, Cam Reddish, Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent

You can follow Edwin on Twitter on @ECREATES88 or on Bluesky at @ECREATES88.BSKY.SOCIAL.