Players Grades: Lakers vs. Jazz

With LeBron James not playing, you shouldn’t have expected the Lakers to pull out the victory in Utah versus the Jazz, but somehow, that doesn’t ease the pain and frustration of watching this team fall two games under .500.

The Lakers started well in the first quarter and led most of the game, but lost the lead in the third and after Reaves fouled out in the fourth, that sealed their fate.

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

Austin Reaves paired well with Russell. Who knew? The duo scored the team’s first 19 points, and Reaves only missed one shot. His biggest blemish was on the defensive side of the ball, where he had a lot of trouble defending Jordan Clarkson.

His night ended early, fouling out with five minutes left and if he wants to continue increasing his role, he’ll have to do a better job controlling his fouls to make sure he stays out of foul trouble and isn’t a defensive liability.

It was a disappointing night for Cam Reddish. He had to miss the second half for the second game in a row due to left knee soreness. He didn’t play very well offensively during his 11 minutes, but given the injury, it’s hard to be too harsh.

Even so, he hasn’t been playing very well and with Rui Hachimura back and the lineup close to healthy, it might be time to let Reddish either rest that knee or come off the bench for a bit and give some other players a look with the starters.

It was one of the few disappointing games for Anthony Davis as of late. With James out and the Lakers struggling to score all year, the team needed a big game from Davis. Instead, he shot an abysmal 5-21 from the field and was far too passive asking for the ball or getting to his spots so the guards and wings could feed him. It was not an awful display, but on the road with key players missing, 15 points wouldn’t cut it.