Player Grades: Lakers vs. Nuggets

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 131-126 loss to the Nuggets.

Yes, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets yet again on Friday. And yes, it came with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray making huge clutch shots in the final minute.

But, unquestionably, the vibes around this game felt much different than in seasons prior. Where as it once felt inevitable that, no matter what the Lakers did, Denver would eventually win the game at the end, Friday’s game did not have that sense.

There was no perfectly-run sets from the Nuggets down the stretch, but instead a series of big defensive stops for LA. And there was no empty offensive possessions down the stretch, but a series of baskets from a number of role players.

And all of it came from a Lakers team that was a patchwork squad. With 80% of the starting lineup and six of the top eight players out, the expectations were low in this one, which makes their performance all the more impressive, even if it came in defeat.

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

Dalton Knecht

37 minutes, 32 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 13-27 FG, 5-13 3PT, 1-2 FT, -10

If there was someone to look at to hopefully step up in all the absences, it would have been Knecht and he answered in big fashion. In his second-highest scoring outing of the season, Knecht hit some big shots throughout and took full advantage of his opportunity.

His final basket was a huge one to put the Lakers up three, but it was followed by a scary fall. Fortunately, Redick said postgame that he was fine.

Grade: A+

Jarred Vanderbilt

24 minutes, 9 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-4 FT, -13

Considering he was asked to defend Jokic for stretches of this game, you could hardly expect more from Vando. He was active defensively and in the right places offensively.

Also, the seven assists are his most as a Laker and the second-most in his career.

Grade: A

Alex Len

12 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-2 FG, -8

If Len is unplayable in this matchup, then there is just no point in keeping him around. He had nothing for Jokic on either end and the Lakers went to other options pretty quickly in both halves.

Grade: F

Austin Reaves

39 minutes, 37 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals, 13-26 FG, 4-10 3PT, 7-7 FT, 0

Considering everyone knew that Austin would be the No. 1 option in this one, nearly finishing with a 37-point triple-double is nuts. His final form is being the guy with a bunch of reserves as the Lakers’ stars sit.

Of the many impressive parts of his stat line are the steals with half of them coming in the clutch. He ripped the ball away from Jokic late before scoring a layup on the other end, then nabbed another steal 10 seconds later before setting up Knecht for a dunk.

What a huge performance.

Grade: A+

Jordan Goodwin

34 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4-8 FG, 2-3 3PT, -8

If you didn’t know already, Friday was the latest example that Goodwin is a legitimate NBA role player. He makes winning plays all over the floor and then knocked down some big-time 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

It wasn’t his best defensive showing as there was a lot of gambling for steals, but that felt like him trying to do too much knowing the team was short-handed.

Grade: B+

Christian Koloko

20 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 4-7 FG, +13

There’s been a lot that JJ Redick has done right this season, but one of the most confounding things was Koloko falling entirely out of the rotation for multiple months. For a while, it was a matter of him quickly running out of games on his two-way contract, but that issue had come and gone.

Friday was an example of why he should have been getting time. Yes, he did commit the costly foul that allowed Jokic to tie the game late, but the mistake was the exception, not the rule, on the night.

Grade: B+

Shake Milton

28 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 7-11 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, +10

While Reaves and Knecht will get the plaudits, Shake had some huge buckets himself in this one. This was best-case Shake as he knocked down shots and avoided all the silly nonsense he finds himself in at times.

It also shows how, unlike other players at the end of the bench, he can still provide some value and production.

Grade: A-

Markieff Morris

24 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-11 FG, 1-4 3PT, -5

Even as shorthanded as they were, I did not have Kieff taking 11 shots in this game. His one 3-pointer was a huge one in the fourth quarter but, uh, that was a lot of shots that probably should have went elsewhere.

Let’s have him focus on the leadership stuff moving forward.

Grade: C-

Bronny James

16 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1-5 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, +8

Bronny started hot, knocking down a 3-pointer in the first quarter. That, however, would end up being his only field goal.

I do think there was something to his plus-minus being as high as it was as the team looked good when he was on the floor. But I’m not sure if that was solely because of Bronny or it being a right place, right time situation.

Grade: C

Cam Reddish

There have been some people calling for Cam to play this week with the team shorthanded. In fact, some were outright questioning why Redick wasn’t playing him.

Well, this is why he wasn’t playing. He won’t get a grade because he only played seven minutes, but he had two missed shots and was a -12.

JJ Redick

It’s hard to knock JJ for much in this one. Getting the guys to compete in this game, given all the circumstances, is incredible coaching.

That being said, he admitted to a mistake on the play that saw Jokic get an and-one on Koloko late, stating that he went onto the court to check on Knecht and then didn’t make the right sub.

But the fact that the Lakers had the “opportunity” to make a costly mistake in the final seconds is a big testament to what JJ did on the night.

Grade: A

Friday’s inactives: LeBron James, Maxi Kleber, Luka Dončić, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Trey Jemison III, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.