Lakers Midseason Grades: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell And Others

2023-24 Stats: 24.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Let me be clear. No player on a team below .500 at this point in the season deserves a full A grade but the stars of the 2023-24 Los Angeles Lakers have put forth a legitimate effort despite the outcome. LeBron James, at 39 years old, has been as good as he can be this season, ranking second on the team in scoring and rebounds while leading the way with 7.5 assists per game.

Now, of course, there are concerns as well. His defensive effort has been disappointing to watch, often failing to get back on defense after missed shots or turnovers. No matter what excuse there is for it, it has been detrimental to their team's success. However, it can also be said that James has been the reason for many of their quality wins. His 52.4% shooting from the field overall is second on the team behind Anthony Davis and his 39.0% shooting from three is tied for first among players shooting over 5.0 attempts from the perimeter.

Overall, James has exceeded all expectations for a player in his 21st season but only on an individual level.

Anthony Davis (A-)

2023-24 Stats: 25.1 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2.5 BPG

With LeBron James aging at a rapid pace, 2023-24 was supposed to be the year we saw Anthony Davis elevate his game to another level. In many ways, he has responded to the challenge, leading the team in scoring and rebounding while also remaining their best overall defender on the court every single night.

What remains Davis’ Achilles heel has been his inconsistency. While he has begun to dispel the oft-injured label while playing in 39 of 41 games so far, his inconsistency has been brutal at times. On some nights, he looks like he could be the best player in the world. On other nights, he looks lost and disinterested.

Davis may be on the verge of being the franchise cornerstone the Lakers have always envisioned he would be but he has to do it every night if this team is going to go anywhere and make up ground in the Western Conference standings.

Austin Reaves (B-)

2023-24 Stats: 15.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

One of the biggest priorities the Lakers had for themselves was bringing back Austin Reaves as he hit free agency and they did that, inking him to an extension almost immediately. Over his first 20 games, Reaves looked lost, committing 2.5 turnovers per game and averaging just 13.5 points on 46.1% shooting.

After being moved to the bench for a time and adjusting to his role, Reaves has settled in as of late, averaging 16.7 points per game on 51.5% shooting from the field. The one glaring weakness with Reaves has been his defensive abilities, often being exposed by talented offensive wings in isolation who blow right by him at the point of attack.

The Lakers need Reaves to continue his improvement and play like he has over his last 21 contests if they wish to be taken seriously the rest of the way.

D’Angelo Russell (B-)

2023-24 Stats: 15.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Another player the Lakers brought back this summer is point guard D’Angelo Russell. In many ways, Russell has been a disappointment for the Lakers this season, especially when it comes to his effort on the defensive side of the ball which seems to be a common theme across the board for the 2023-24 Lakers.

Russell was also relegated to the bench partway through the season where in his last 15 games, he has struggled just a bit. In those 15 games, he is averaging just 13.4 points per game on 45.3% shooting overall and 36.9% shooting from three while committing 2.3 turnovers per game. With his name swirling in trade rumors as of late, he hasn’t done himself or the team any favors in increasing his value with his play. I would not be surprised if the Lakers move on from Russell at the trade deadline in favor of a more consistent big man next to Davis or another legitimate scorer from the wing.

Taurean Prince (C)

2023-24 Stats: 9.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG

One of the new signings of the Lakers’ 2023 offseason was Taurean Prince who was thought to be one of the solutions to their perimeter scoring issue. After a start to his season that included performances of 18 and 20 points in two of his first three games, it looked as if the Lakers had hit the jackpot. Since that time, it has turned into somewhat of a disaster for both Prince and the team as a whole.

Regardless of his play, coach Darvin Ham continues to trot Prince out there as a starter in his endless roulette of lineups. In his last 20 games, Prince has been playing more like a low-level sixth man with 10.2 points per game on just 40.3% shooting from the field. Sure, his three-point shooting has been consistent and is among the best on the team in that regard but his lackluster defense and too many possessions going missing on defense have been tough to watch.

Cam Reddish (C)

2023-24 Stats: 6.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

It wasn't long ago that Lakers fans were calling the signing of Cam Reddish the “steal of the offseason”. Early on in the year, it looked as if they were right with Reddish shooting the ball surprisingly well and playing defense that was having an impact on close games, taking on some of the tougher matchups presented to him.

Reddish has even started 23 of 33 games he has appeared in this season but has quickly regressed to his less-than-average former self. In his last 12 appearances, it has been particularly bad with Reddish averaging just 5.5 points per game in 12 starts while shooting a lowly 33.8% from the field. Coupled with another defensive regression as well, the Cam Reddish experiment in L.A. may be coming to an end.

Rui Hachimura (C)

2023-24 Stats: 11.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

To be completely fair to Rui Hacimura, his grade so far this season has been seriously hindered by injuries and missed time on the court. His numbers look good from the outside looking in as he is averaging 11.8 points per game while shooting 49.0% from the floor overall and 37.0% from three. However, Hacimura has not been the impactful player the Lakers thought he would be or that he was on their 2023 playoff run.

As already mentioned, injuries have limited him to just 27 games played so far this season and he just missed a five-game stretch in the beginning of January. Since returning to the lineup on January 13, he has averaged 14.5 points per game in two games with the Lakers going 1-1 in 19.4 minutes off the bench. While that is a promising output from him, the Lakers need him healthy and more consistent to aid their depleted bench.

Christian Wood (C-)

2023-24 Stats: 7.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Lakers fans were elated at the late offseason signing of Christian Wood, seeing him as a potential frontcourt partner in the starting lineup for Anthony Davis. They quickly realized why that was not going to be the case as his inconsistent offensive play mixed with his defensive deficiencies were glaring from the get-go.

Wood has played far below expectations this season, appearing in 33 games in total and making just one start to date. He is currently shooting 48.5% from the floor and 34.1$ from three while providing zero help on the interior on the defensive side of the ball. In many ways, Wood has been their most disappointing player this season despite a handful of appearances that have given Laker fans false hope.

Jaxson Hayes (D+)

2023-24 Stats: 3.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Has there been a more disappointing offseason signing for the Lakers than Jaxson Hayes so far this season? No, there hasn't been, as Hayes has been given a handful of DNPs in 2023-24 along with receiving just 10.3 minutes of playing time. Hayes’ athleticism and physical play were supposed to be key for the Lakers this year but lackluster effort on defense and disappointing offensive output have limited him in being involved as anything more than giving Anthony Davis time to recover on the bench.

Max Christie (D+)

2023-24 Stats: 5.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG

After a promising Summer League performance this past summer, Max Christie looked as if he was headed toward having a significant spot on the 2023-24 Lakers roster. Thanks to injuries, he has had his chances to earn it but has been limited to 17.5 minutes in 31 games played. Christie has even made six starts but is averaging just 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game on 40.6% shooting overall and 31.9% shooting from three. It looks like he will be headed back to Summer League in 2024 and maybe even a stop in the G-League before the season is over.

Gabe Vincent (D)

2023-24 Stats: 5.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.0 BPG

Having been limited to just five games played this season thanks to knee surgery, I don’t think there has been a more unfortunate turn of events this season for the Lakers than the status of Gabe Vincent. After pulling off some magic out of nowhere for the Heat in the 2023 playoffs, Vincent came to the Lakers with expectations he could help them and their poor three-point shooting right away. Instead, five games is all we have gotten from him so far with no certainty he can come back and be who Los Angeles thought he was going to be.

Jalen Hood-Schifino (D)

2023-24 Stats: 2.2 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Giving a rookie a letter grade of D through 41 games this season may seem a bit unfair but that is exactly what Jalen Hood-Scjofono has been for the Lakers this season. Having only seen nine games of action so far with 8.3 minutes of playing time is not ideal for the promising rookie’s start to his career. Besides, when one of the biggest stories from this year’s rookie class has been the player taken directly after you, it is never a good sign that things are going well.

Jarred Vanderbilt (D)

2023-24 Stats: 3.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Although injuries are a major reason for Jarred Vanderbilt’s slow start to 2023-24, he just hasn’t been nearly the same player the Lakers acquired last season at the trade deadline. In 20 games this season, Vanderbilt has seen 18.7 minutes of play and has yet to prove he can make any impact on the offensive side of the ball while regressing completely as a defender. He is currently shooting 41.0% overall and 15.8% from three this season which is an issue considering most of his outside shots come when opponents are nowhere near him.

The more disappointing part of his game has been his defensive play which has been just average compared to the elite defense he played last season. I understand he is being reintroduced to the rotation but after 20 games you’d figure he would have figured things out by now.

Maxwell Lewis (D-)

2023-24 Stats: 0.3 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.0 BPG

Including rookie Maxwell Lewis on this list is just a formality at this point. Lewis has appeared in just 12 games in 2023-24, playing for a total of 4.4 minutes per game in games that are usually decided by the time he has hit the court. In 12 games, he has committed five turnovers and scored three points in total, shooting 1-9 from the field and 1-3 from three-point range.

D’Moi Hodge (D-)

2023-24 Stats: 2.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Just like Maxwell Lewis, including D’Moi Hodge on this list as a rookie seems to be a bit unfair but with seven games played, he qualifies for grading. Hodge has done nothing to stand out or earn more playing time this season, seeing the floor for a total of 41 minutes in seven appearances. He has scored 14 points altogether on 5-15 shooting from the floor. He has also shot just 3-12 from three-point land and dished out a total of five assists.