Report Card Grades for Each Los Angeles Lakers Player
More than one-quarter through the 2017-18 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are closer to making the playoffs than the cellar.
That might only qualify as baby-step progress, but when you're stuck in the worst rut in franchise history, any advancement is probably worth celebrating.
Behind a predictably rapid offense and surprisingly stingy defense, the retooled Lakers are establishing an identity while plotting their long-term path. Not every player on the roster will be around to complete that vision, but each has been involved with helping L.A. find something closer to competitiveness than it's had in years.
How have they all done? Well, it's funny you should ask. We just happen to be handing out report card grades here by assessing players' performances in relation to their preseason expectations and in-season roles.
End of Bench
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17. Thomas Bryant, C
For not making an NBA appearance yet, the second-rounder is off to an interesting start. A 6'11" center with a 7'6" wingspan, Bryant is the leading scorer for the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, at 22.4 points per game, and he's also averaging 2.9 three-pointers (on 47.9 percent shooting) and 1.9 blocks. Who knows if those numbers would translate to the Association, but they're still fun to digest.
Grade: Incomplete
16. Alex Caruso, PG
The summer-league standout scored the first two-way pact in Lakers' history and has carried over his strong play to the South Bay squad. At that level, he's averaging 20.8 points on 53.9 percent shooting (45.2 from three) and 6.5 assists per night. But he hasn't been seen with the big-league club since tallying two assists in seven minutes on Oct. 20.
Grade: Incomplete
15. Luol Deng, SF/PF
The old L.A. regime deemed Deng worthy of a four-year, $72 million commitment during the free-spending summer of 2016. But that became dead money almost as soon as the ink dried, and the out-of-place 32-year-old is left hoping for a ticket out of town.
"The only answer for me now is to prove myself away from L.A.," Deng told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "I'm not asked to play, I'm not in the rotation, so I can't prove myself here."
Deng's contract is an abject failure. But since he's stepped inside the lines exactly once this season, there's no way to assess his performance.
Grade: N/A
14. Vander Blue, SG
Scoring propelled Blue to last season's D-League MVP award, and it's the reason the Purple and Gold gave him both a two-way contract and a four-game look in mid-November. But he's lacked his typical potency, managing just two points in 28 NBA minutes and shooting only 39.0 percent at the developmental level.
Grade: D
13. Ivica Zubac, C
Before an ankle sprain ended his rookie campaign, Zubac had seized control of L.A.'s starting center gig. But now, he's barely a blip on the big-man radar, making only six appearances—none longer than three minutes. He looked like a building block not long ago, but he's not even the Lakers' most exciting center in the G League anymore.
Grade: D+
12. Tyler Ennis, PG
Whatever clicked for Ennis after his midseason trade last year didn't return for 2017-18. Everything from his minutes to his production has been inconsistent, and he's done nothing to force his way back into the backcourt rotation. On the year, he has more shots (22) than points (20) and the fewest assists per 36 minutes of his career (4.9).
Grade: C-
11. Andrew Bogut, C
Bogut's on-court value is dwindling, and the Lakers don't always find floor time for the former No. 1 pick. In spot duty, he can still contribute as a rebounder (13.5 per 36 minutes) and shot-blocker (2.9 per 36), but he's neither a scorer nor a mobile defender. He has probably done most of what the Lakers expected, but he gets dinged for taking minutes away from younger, more versatile options.
Grade: C-
Supporting Cast
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10. Corey Brewer, SF
The Lakers have discovered there is such a thing as too much Brewer, and they continue lowering the acceptable limits. He hasn't cleared 30 minutes since the second contest or 20 since Oct. 27, and he's getting less action each month (from 15.6 per game in October to just 6.5 in December). Considering he last had a double-digit player efficiency rating in 2014-15, it's hard to even shop him as a plug-and-play veteran rental.
Grade: D
9. Josh Hart, SG
Hart's trajectory is running opposite to Brewer's, as L.A.'s "other" rookie is playing his way deeper into head coach Luke Walton's plans. Hart's defense has been as good as advertised (holding opponents 1.4 field-goal percentage points below their average), and his offense is trending up. Since rejoining the rotation in mid-November, he's averaging 4.4 points on 56.0 percent shooting (53.8 outside) over his last nine outings.
Grade: C+
8. Julius Randle, PF/C
In the big picture, Randle remains one of the Lakers' biggest enigmas. When he's dialed in, he can pile up points, create for his teammates and defend multiple positions. But his motor still has a tendency to stutter, and he's yet to harness either of the most coveted modern big-man skills—three-point shooting and shot-blocking. It's no clearer now if L.A. should keep him in restricted free agency, and if so, how much he should collect.
But on a micro level, he's playing the best basketball of his career. Improved conditioning and a new small-ball center role with the reserve unit have combined to unlock new elements of his versatility. His per-36 averages include 19.9 points (on 55.1 percent shooting), 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 blocks; for context, Blake Griffin is the only player to post a 19/10/3 line and shoot 50-plus percent in the 2010s.
Grade: B+
7. Jordan Clarkson, PG/SG
Like Randle, it's hard to tell if Clarkson is a long-term keeper or just a bridge to L.A.'s next era. While his contract runs through 2019-20, it's been mentioned as a possible sacrifice should the franchise need to increase its free-agent budget. And even though he's easily pacing the club in points per 36 (24.1), he's only sixth in total minutes and sixth in clutch minutes.
"It's tough as hell, to be honest with you," Clarkson told Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles. "Because I'm a competitor like everybody else in this locker room. You want to be on the floor. It is what it is. I can't control nothing of what's going on."
What Clarkson can control, though, is the career year he's engineering. His offensive production is bolstered by personal-best rates from the field (48.5) and three (37.1), and his PER has never been higher (19.1). He's moving away from the scoring specialist label and again finding ways to leave an imprint as a rebounder, distributor and defender.
Grade: A-
6. Larry Nance Jr., PF
Nance wouldn't be included in a discussion of the Lakers' five most talented players, but his glue-guy game has proved a snug fit in the starting lineup. The third-year forward shines with defense and hustle, making his offensive limitations easier to stomach. But not being a shooter, off-the-bounce creator or setup man all contributes to him seeing only 4.4 fourth-quarter minutes per night.
Grade: B-
Brook Lopez, C
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The Lakers needed Brook Lopez for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with producing on the court. His expiring salary serves as one of their greatest hopes for a splash next summer, and his decade of NBA experience—which includes an All-Star nod in 2012-13—makes for an invaluable teaching tool for L.A.'s collection of youth.
So, his slumping stats shouldn't be all that surprising.
But this can't be the most comfortable experience, even if it includes starting for his hometown team. In a single summer, he went from being a franchise focal point to potentially another's placeholder. He has the team's deepest bag of offensive tricks, and yet he's losing floor time and touches to inferior players who need to develop.
"It is different for me for sure," Lopez said, per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. "I am used to being out there. I love being out there on the court trying to help my team whenever I can. Obviously I am going to understand and accept my role wherever it may be as long as it helps the team."
Perhaps thrown off by a career-low 22.8 minutes, Lopez's efficiency numbers have decreased with the loss of volume. He's never had a worse field-goal percentage (44.6) or lower PER (17.1). His 10.4 rebounding percentage is well beneath his career average (12.6), and he's suddenly searching for the three-ball he discovered just last season (34.6 percent then, 30.7 percent now).
With the Lakers operating at the Association's fastest pace, it seems increasingly unlikely they'd want to extend their relationship with a plodder like Lopez. But they'd presumably love to see his stats spike, so they could shop him around ahead of the trade deadline.
Grade: C-
Kyle Kuzma, PF
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Everything about Kyle Kuzma defies logic.
He's among the most captivating players in his class, even though NBA freshmen his age (22) who played as long as he did in college (three seasons plus a redshirt year) aren't supposed to be exciting. Oh, he's also a better three-point shooter at this level (36.5 percent) than he was at his last one (30.2). And he's almost matched the buzz of Lonzo Ball, despite having far fewer soundbites than Lonzo's dad.
As Ganguli examined, Kuzma's wildly successful start is unlikely and, in one aspect, unprecedented:
"The NBA named Kuzma the Western Conference rookie of the month, which includes the first month-and-a-half of the season. During that span, Kuzma became the first rookie in NBA history to record at least 330 points, 120 rebounds and 30 made three-pointers in the first 20 games of his career. He is only the sixth player who was drafted outside the lottery ever to get the award in the first month of his career."
Kuzma, the 27th pick this past summer out of Utah, has been a top-five freshman in points (384, fourth), rebounds (160, fifth) and threes (38, fourth). Only Rookie of the Year front-runner Ben Simmons has more double-doubles than Kuzma's eight. He's already fourth on the Lakers in minutes, and his play keeps clamoring for a larger role.
If this was all a facade, Kuzma's bubble would have burst already. But the 6'9" forward who's overflowing with contemporary qualities isn't going anywhere. Regardless where you place his ultimate ceiling, you have to concede his floor has climbed several stories already.
Grade: A
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has never been the easiest player to evaluate.
The former top-10 pick does his best work on the defensive end, where statistics are still struggling to paint a complete picture.
Case in point, he is seemingly one of the biggest reasons why the Lakers have jumped from 30th to eighth in defensive efficiency. He's also allowing opponents to shoot 3.5 points better than they do on average, and he isn't one of the top 15 shooting guards in ESPN.com's defensive real plus-minus (0.18, 18th).
But L.A. likes the example he sets for the youngsters.
"A big part of our defense is what he's brought. ... He practices hard, has great habits and is an aggressive defender," Walton said, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News. "He likes to get up into the ball, and when you're playing with so many young players, when they get to see him do it every day, they learn better and quicker from that."
Leading by example isn't the simplest area to grade, and neither is KCP's offense.
While his three-point shooting has reached a personal high (36.8 percent), his scoring is actually down to a three-year low (13.7). His forgettable 41.8 field-goal percentage—which is the second-highest of his career—highlights his problems with shot selection. He has one of the worst assist percentages for a high-volume guard (9.5) and lands outside his position's top 30 in offensive real plus-minus (minus-0.06, 33rd).
This isn't an $18 million performance, but that probably wasn't the expectation. At best, KCP is a defense-first role player who can stretch the floor at the opposite end. View him through that lens, and he's been a little better than expected.
Grade: B-
Lonzo Ball, PG
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The all-encompassing Lonzo Ball experience would make for a fascinating grading discussion, but we're only analyzing the on-court Lonzo Ball experiment.
He's as interesting as prospects come, and for far more reasons than the fact his jump shot resembles a real-life NBA 2K glitch. He's aiming to be a star guard who doesn't score consistently, a task that's rarely attempted and far less frequently achieved. He's also validating comparisons to Hall of Fame-lock Jason Kidd through turbo-charged transition attacks and across-the-board output.
"Ball has kept the offense moving with unselfish lay, quick decisions and terrific vision," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "And though never known for his defense, he's surprised early, showing impressive anticipation. ... But the predraft concerns over his explosiveness, off-the-dribble scoring and shooting form have shown up early."
Ball is both who we thought he was and someone we're struggling to process.
His talent level is obvious and incredible. He's triple-doubled twice and holds top-five rookie rankings in assists (177, second), rebounds (171, third), steals (34, third) and blocks (24, first). But he's been an abysmal shooter from every level (.321/.246/.471 slash) and has had fewer games with 15-plus points (three) than five or less (seven).
It's hard to knock him too much when he's 20 years old with a floor game this advanced. But it's just as difficult to picture him as L.A.'s savior when his shooting woes hold historic relevance.
Grade: B
Brandon Ingram, SF
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Brandon Ingram's rookie year was defined by patience, both his perseverance through a quiet start and the fanbase being forced to accept something other than immediate results.
But season No. 2 is all about production, as Ahmed detailed:
"The former Duke Blue Devil only hit the 20-point mark twice in his rookie season, but his offense has developed to a far more consistent and threatening level in the 20-year-old's sophomore season. Ingram has topped 20 points in six of 25 games and is currently on a streak of 11 straight games scoring in double figures. Ingram has scored 15 or more points in 15 of the Lakers' 25 games and nine of the past 11 games. In short, he's getting better and more consistent with every passing game."
Remember when Ingram seemed to only be a wiry, upside-rich mystery? Well, now he's L.A.'s top scorer (at 16.2 points per game), clutch shot-maker and arguably best wing defender (holding players 1.7 points below their average).
Maybe this was inevitable. When Kevin Durant says he sees himself in a rookie, there's obviously a mountain of promise in play. But physical tools don't always guarantee success. And even good stretches like the one with which Ingram closed his rookie campaign can fade away and later appear as anomalous blips.
So, consider Ingram's start as a welcome sign of encouragement. He might have the highest ceiling on the Lakers, and he's taking critical steps toward realizing his potential.
Grade: A-
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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