Grades for LeBron James and Austin Reaves in the Lakers' loss to the Grizzlies

The Lakers had no Anthony Davis or Rui Hachimura in their match 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 opened the game in the third quarter and outscored the Lakers 38-26. Los Angeles finished its five-game road trip with a 1-4 record and is now at .500 on the season.

So let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on each player's expectations. The grade “B” represents that player’s average performance.

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 chance to win this game is because of LeBron.

In a word, he was outstanding.

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

After the game, JJ Redick praised his oldest player for the best performance on the team. At 39 and 40, it's still breathtaking to see the level Bron can reach.

JJ Redick on LeBron James: “He’s almost 40 years old and played the hardest on our team.”

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) November 7, 2024

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

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

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

Without AD, Hayes played 35 minutes. That's way too much time given his skill level and that's exactly what we saw against the Grizzlies. He wasn't able to hold his own against the Memphis bigs and couldn't even look like a starter 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 quarter and none in the final quarter. After the game, Redick emphasized his level of performance.

Needless to say, it wasn't a good game for Russell. We'll see how Russell takes this criticism and whether there are long-term consequences if Redick benches him in Game 4.

Grade: D

Dalton Knecht

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

It was Knecht's first career start, but he was a fish out of water out there. He couldn't find his rhythm or his 3-point shot. It's hard to be disappointed when a rookie starts on the road, but he should be at least league average from distance.

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 his problems.

There were tough times in eight games. There were a lot of good attacks from deep that he couldn't convert, and with AD out someone had to step up, but he didn't respond to 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

Late October to early November is officially Cam Reddish season. He played well against the Grizzlies and, along with his defensive play, contributed a commanding 15 points on offense.

I'm skeptical that it can stay that way, but Reddish was by far the best reserve on 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 suspended before the game by Redick for playing 18 minutes in the Lakers' previous game against the Pistons and not even attempting a field goal.

He responded by firing eight shots, but only fired two of them.

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

Grade: D+

Christian Koloko

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

Since Koloko had just been medically cleared to play, being in a situation where he had to lie on the floor for 13 minutes during a game wasn't ideal.

All in all, he handled it well. Koloko had a good defensive performance and held off Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia nicely.

If AD has to miss more time, I expect Koloko's minutes to increase in the future.

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 no longer the first player to come on. 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 has overstated his abilities.

Grade: C-

Bronny James

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

JJ Redick

If you bench Russell and play Reddish against Christie, Darvin Ham and Redick may have more in common than we thought.

It's hard to be mad at coaching when two starters are out. Redick did what he could to turn a loss into a win, but he just couldn't do it.