With a 20-21 record through the first half of the NBA season, it has been a very lackluster campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers. This is a team that was highly regarded as one of the top-tier contenders before things officially kicked off, but they have been highly plagued by the curse of mediocrity.
All things considered, their inconsistent displays of energy and overall passion are deserving of somewhere around the C territory in terms of how things have gone. If you are measuring their output with their expectations leading up to the regular season, you could very easily drop that grade to an F.
So with things subtly flying off the rails for the 2023-2024 Lakers team, how have things panned out for the individual players through the first 41 games?
Lakers player grades: The honor roll
LeBron James = A+
Father Time has once again been unable to defeat the product of Cleveland, even to the extent that it looks like James could quite feasibly have another few seasons of high-level basketball left in the tank.
His unbelievable performance thus far yielded him the honor of being crowned the MVP of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tourney. That may not translate to a regular season MVP acknowledgment, but he has undoubtedly been the MVP of his team early on. Finding any glaring cons in his play so far could take hours, even days.
Anthony Davis = A
AD has been almost equally as impressive this season, with perhaps the most impressive area of his game being in the health department. Davis has missed just two games so far, and his availability has been crucial for this team on both ends of the floor. The only thing halting him from earning an A+ has been his inability to fully evidence his ability to carry on the torch without LeBron. He had a chance to support that cause in the recent showdown against Utah but was unable to persevere.
However, he does get brownie points for claiming responsibility for that loss (something he has shown a willingness to do during his time with the Lakers). That is the action of a true leader, and right now AD's main objective should be proving that he can capably take control of the direction of this franchise.
Taurean Prince = B+
If you need any evidence that Prince has done his job with the Lakers, just take a peek at how many games he has started in comparison to how many games he has played (39/39). The coaching staff was faced with a bit of a dilemma in the preseason when it came to deciphering who the 5th starter would be. Flash forward to the midseason point, and Taurean Prince may now be the only Laker aside from LeBron and AD that has a firm hold on his starting position.
Austin Reaves = B
Since shaking off some early-season struggles, AR has rediscovered the individual rhythm that he exuded in the second half of last season. He still has a ways to go if he is going to get back on the All-Star trajectory that many assumed he was on, but a strong second half of the 2023-2024 campaign would do wonders in terms of erasing any doubt tied to a potential plateau.
Rui Hachimura = B
Hachimura has missed about 1/3 of the team's games through the first half of the season, but he has once again been a steady contributor off the bench in the games which he has played. He is again scoring the ball efficiently (11.8 points per game on shooting splits of 49.0 FG%/37.0 3%/76.8 FT%), but many fans would probably agree that they had hoped for a bit more from Rui this season. He has not been bad whatsoever, he just has not been spectacular either.
D'Angelo Russell = B-
There is a strong chance that D'Lo is suiting up for another team in the weeks to come, and if he were to be traded it would more than likely be primarily for salary-matching purposes. With that being said, it is truly puzzling how the combo guard receives so much hate when in all reality he has not been bad and can actually contribute on the floor for any team he plays for (as he has done his entire career).
Russell has once again hit shots at a high level (39% from beyond the arc on 5.5 attempts per game) and served as a smooth secondary playmaking option next to LeBron (2nd on the team to James in assists-per-game at 6.1). A lot of fans would probably be happy to see his name included in a trade, but those same fans would also probably grieve his absence later on if the team hit another rough patch offensively as they did to begin the season.
Lakers player grades: Cs get degrees
Christian Wood = C+
Christian Wood's entire career has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, and this season has been no different. The versatile offensive threat was cooking from downtown to start the season (40.7% from 3 in his first 10 games) but has progressively tapered off in that department (34.1% for the season).
After averaging just 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds over the course of 9 games in December, he is putting up 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds over the course of his first 6 games of January. That type of variance illustrates the ever-swinging pendulum that predicates Wood's production. Defensively, there have actually been a few games where he has more or less dominated. However, those nights have been few and far in between similar to his offensive outbursts as the 28-year-old searches for consistency.
Cam Reddish = C+
Reddish has done well to secure a label as a legitimate NBA basketball player in 2023-2024. The former lottery pick has struggled to find his way early in his career, and his struggles have more specifically been linked to his inability to find ways to contribute to winning. Through his first few seasons, he gave glimpses of offensive stardom while simultaneously showcasing an insubordinate sense in the area of efficiency.
This season, he has pushed all of that aside and made strong efforts to become the lockdown defender that the Lakers have patiently waited for in recent seasons. He has always had the tools to reach that level, and while he still has a lot of work to do Reddish has more than done his part defensively this season.
Max Christie = C+
After a summer in which he looked like a completely different player compared to last season, Max Christie had some NBA writers wondering if he could make a run at the NBA's Most Improved Player award in 2023-2024.
Through the opening half of the season, those lofty expectations have come crashing back down to reality. Through no fault of his own (he has been semi-solid when given a consistent role in the rotation), the sophomore has been a bit of a disappointment so far.
Jalen Hood-Schifino = C
It is difficult to gauge the performance of JHS being that he has played just 75 minutes in the team's first 41 games. In the brief moments when he has been on the floor, he has been neither terrible nor terrific.
Maxwell Lewis = C
Lewis has played a grand total of 53 minutes in the 12 games he has appeared in, and just like his fellow rookie Hood-Schifino he has not done anything in those minutes to produce any type of major concern or curiosity within the organization.
Lakers player grades: The failing class
Jarred Vanderbilt = D+
After missing the team's first 21 games with a lingering ailment of his heel, it took Vando some time to get back into the flow of things with the active roster. The team's post-IST meltdown unfolded shortly after Vanderbilt's return, which does not bode well for his overall impact.
The Lakers will need him to find a way to wreak havoc defensively like he did a season ago or he will find himself buried at the end of the bench before the current campaign's conclusion.
Jaxson Hayes = D
Hayes was never really expected to make a significant impact for the Lakers, but the springy 7-footer had a lot of potential as a backup big in Darvin Ham's rotation. Unfortunately, that potential has not produced much in terms of output and Hayes has primarily found himself on the outside of the rotation looking in as the season has progressed.
Gabe Vincent = F-
Anytime you are being compared to Kendrick Nunn, one of the most loathed Lakers of all-time, you know that you are on the wrong side of the spectrum. Injuries are an unfortunate reality in the NBA, and Vincent's knee has not done him any favors in garnering the hearts of Laker fans.
However, even in the minuscule minutes he has taken the floor the point guard has looked much colder than he did during his time with the Heat.