LAKERS -at- HAWKS - 1-30-24 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Sluggish Again... No AD and the third game in four nights (after a big double OT national game), you knew this was not going to be pretty.

The Lakers gave up 138 points to the Hawks as they were sluggish to change ends in transition early on.

In the fourth, even when they had a chance to cut it to single digits, they would either give up a big play or miss freethrow after freethrow (14-25, 56%).

Meanwhile, Dejounte Murray took it to Jared Vanderbilt down the stretch with multiple scores in a row to keep the Hawks humming. The Lakers fell easily 138-122.

“We could on any given night beat any team in the NBA,” LeBron said. “And on any given night get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA.”


LeBron -- -- You’ve got to have energy around him. We did not. Poor job from Bron at the line. “I was ass from the freethrow line,” he said. That fourth quarter FT shooting by him and others was pretty sad. “There’s got to me more communication during the course of a possession,” Bron said of the defense. He said AD fixes a lot of mistakes. Good job getting downhill for scores at the rim. He and Reaves teammed up for the highlight play of the game. Reaves threw a long lob pass to him and Bron got up there to hammer it down. Asked about the team, Bron just said, “Do your job,” before he was interupted. “Way to cut me off because I was about to…” he said. Who knows what he was going to say. He didn’t get worked up in the post game interview. “That calmness would scare me if I was one of his teammates right now,” Byron Scott said afterward. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-17 shooting (2-6 from three, 4-9 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 36 minutes. He was a -6.

Russell -- -- The Lakers let Reaves run a lot of the offense tonight. First half, Russell had 4 points on 1-7 shooting and just 1 assist. Murray had 12 points on 5-9 shooting and 7 assists. Russell really disappeared in this game. Certainly, a lot of standing in the corner, but he didn’t bring much fight to the game. In the Murray vs. Russell single game battle, Murray finished with 24 on 11-19 shooting and was a +19. To be fair, the Lakers team looked tired. But with no AD, you need more from Russell and didn’t get it. He hit one attempt from three. He got a man on his hip and scored a layup. And he hit and iso 16-footer. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-11 shooting (1-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -11.

Reaves -- -- I liked his aggression. With AD out, we needed guys to step up. Reaves was more of the tip of the spear tonight and Trae Young on him defensively early on. Reaves got after it from the start. Then they moved Murray on him, but that didn’t slow him down. He finished half with 13 points on 5-11 shooting and 5 assists to lead the team in all those categories. He did a good job getting to the rim with speed for scores. He sank a few threes. Some nice passes including a long lob to Bron for a dunk. He missed a big runner that could have cut it to 8 early in the fourth. Ham ran a lot of Reaves/Christie in the first half, sitting both Russell and Bron at the same time. That’s usually a mistake. The team floundered and really lost ground early on they could never make up. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 10-19 shooting (3-8 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 32 minutes. He was a -15.

Prince -- -- A couple nice set plays run for him to shoot off the move. We don’t do enough of that and we don’t do it consistently when we do. But he buried a three coming off a down screen on one. He hit a pull-up in the lane of a different variation next time down. Can we organize a little more of that? He dunked on the break for his other bucket. Defensively, some point of attack assignments again on Trae. This is usually a problem. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-7 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 25 minutes. He was a -18.

Hayes -- -- He got the start and gave some effort. The 4 steals, 1 block and 6 boards show that activity (nice steal defending the passing lane in the two-man D). Still too much sloppiness. He had an illegal screen on a handoff. He got swatted badly not having a play while trying to be aggressive. His most electric play was probably the posterizing dunk over Capela, but that was also called a charge. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-4 shooting to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -11.

Hachimura -- -- Best play of the night was stealing the ball from the perimeter and taking it the distance for a score. He also had a nice drive with a long-stride spin move to get to the rim for a layup. A little LeBron-ish on that one. While he sank a couple threes, he missed a big three in the fourth that could have cut it to 7. He also missed both his FTs. Some good moments bullying around the rim for scores. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-11 shooting (2-4 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 steals and 1 turnover in 23 minutes. He was a -9.

Vanderbilt -- -- “I’m still getting there,” Vando said of his health. I think Murray impressed me the most in this one when he was iso’ing against Vando and scoring with ease. Really quick on those pull ups and Vando couldn’t stay with him down the stretch on multiple shots. That pretty much secured the win with several straight scoring possesssion. The Lakers couldn’t make a stand and string together defensive stops in this game. Offensively, some nice working changing ends to get open on the break. He also stole a pass on the perimeter and took it for an And-1 (missed the FT, of course). The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-6 shooting (0-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -9.

Wood -- -- He tweeted “Lol” just prior to the game. He said he mean to quote something. “Definitely not basketball related,” he said. There was speculation that he was annoyed for not getting the start. Ham wanted to maintain his bench. “There’s a lot of things he and all of us could do better,” Ham said, not taking the bait by the press afterward. The old heads in the post game weren’t having it. “If you don’t like it, remain professional,” Worthy said. Byron wondered why he was even tweeting prior to game to begin with. As for the actual game, he did a good job grabbing boards. Some nice scores around the rim. He dunked off a deflected pass from Reaves. He cut off a Bron post, took a pass and dunked. He dunked off a Vando baseline lob. And he also got deep position and scored easily under the rim on another. A couple assists, including a nice interior feed to Vando off a short roll for a score. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-7 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists and 2 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -4.

Christie -- -- He scored on both shots he took. He sank a pull up at the FT line and he swished a catch-and-shoot three from the wing. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting (1-1 from the three) to go with 1 board, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 11 minutes. He was a -5.

Windler -- -- Came in after the game was over and he sank a couple of threes and missed a floater. He hit Hayes rolling for a dunk for his assist. Good work. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and no fouls in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

Mays -- -- A couple of assists in garbage time. The Stats: He didn’t shoot or score, had 1 board, 2 assists and 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

Hood-Schifino -- -- Offered up as part of the Russell trade to Atlanta according to the rumors. He missed a three and drew FTs on the break. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-1 shooting from three (2-2 from the line) in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

Lewis -- -- Garbage time run. Don’t remember how he scored. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: The Lakers lost all four quarters in this game. Bad decision by Ham to go with Reaves running the offense with both Russell and Bron sitting early on. The Lakers lost ground doing that in the first half. He fixed it in the second half, but it’s one of those things you see early on and get ready for bad things. It felt like that’s when we dug our hole.

Key Substitution: Swapping out AD with Hayes seems like a death wish. Is Biyombo still out there? Hopefully, AD is rested for the Celtics game.

Key Stats: The Lakers shot 14-25 from the line. Awful. They were outrebounded on the offensive glass 12-7. The Hawks shot 52.5% for the game.

[slavavov]

The Lakers quite often have beaten or at least competed hard against teams with better records than them. On the other hand, they keep mailing it in against crap teams and getting embarrassed against them.

They have gotten beat like a drum by the Spurs, Nets, Rockets (twice), Grizzlies, Bulls and now the Hawks.

The Lakers don't have a talent problem. They have an attitude problem.
_________________
Lakers 49ers Chargers Dodgers

[A Mad Chinaman]

As DB mentioned, Ham tried AR/Christie and LBR/DLo together with little success.

Vincent and Reddish's defensive effectiveness and energy is missed that is highlighted whenever Prince is on the court.

With depth supposedly a strength of this team, does this game confirms or doesn't confirm how strong our bench is?

Appears that an AR, CWood, Rui, LBJ and Vando's length and defensive impact has potential of one combination that Ham can have some confidence

Any lineup with Prince is disastrous since his ineffectiveness in Team D exposes DLo and AR's defensive weaknesses while placing more pressure on their offensive effectiveness because many are wondering if he wants to be involved offensively.

Hopefully Christie will get more PT to learn from his many mistakes to be effective when the games start being more important

[ThePageDude]

[RI Laker]

I hope Ham can sneak more minutes towards Windler's way. We have so many games with garbage minutes and I think this kid (if developed) can be an effective rotational player.

[pio2u]

Thx DB!

[governator]

I don’t know how u do it Mod, this team is giving me ulcers
_________________
“The main goal for the Lakers is to win a championship. All I care about, all we care about, is to raise another banner in the rafters.“

[PenG_]

The league is annoyingly deep if you're a mediocre team. No such thing as an easy night.

Interesting to see a 39 year old LeBron without a co-star. These games without AD are gross.

[Laker7]

When you have a team with Lebron, AD, and DLo.........and Austin Reeves is your leading scorer, you got problems. And I love AR to death. But really?
_________________
Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[A Mad Chinaman]

[ThePageDude]

[TDRock]

Thanks DB
_________________
#IStillBelieveTaurean

[A Mad Chinaman]

Noting LBJ’s words for everyone to do their job, here’s an assessment from Silver Screen and Roll on players doing their jobs (while recognizing Momo’s words that this team is built for the playoffs
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2024/1/30/24055983/player-grades-lakers-vs-hawks-box-score-stats-austin-reaves-lebron-james-dangelo-russell


The Lakers played one of their most underwhelming games of the season and that's saying something, given how many performances can be nominated for that spot.

Yes, it was the second night of a back-to-back and correct, Anthony Davis did not play. Even so, you expect a better effort defensively and even with Davis out, the Lakers were still the more talented team on paper.

However, that's all they were because, on the court, the Hawks were in control the entire game and never trailed during the second half.

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.

LeBron James
36 minutes, 20 points, 8 assists, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-17 FG, 2-6 3PT, 4-9 FT, -6

James wasn't awful, but he didn't bring the appropriate energy, especially in lieu of Davis' absence. He was subpar on a night they needed him to be great.

Defensively, he had a nice chase down block but was not closing out on shooters, taking his time to get back on defense when the Lakers did score and his biggest impact was pointing at players and complaining about what was happening.

Now, a lot of players were giving a poor effort, but James was only marginally better.

Offensively, he had pockets of brilliance, but this was a lackluster display for the King that left much to be desired.

Grade: D

Austin Reaves
32 minutes, 28 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, 10-19 FG, 3-8 3PT, 5-7 FT, -15

Reaves scoring a season-high 28 points is the closest thing to a silver lining you will find in this game. The scoring is nice, but how many times did Reaves kindly follow Trae Young to the rim like a hostess showing a guest where they can sit? Did he crash the boards to help offset the double-digit rebounds Davis usually grabs? Nope.

He did have the second-worst plus-minus with a -15. Who had the worst? Taurean Prince. Yeah, that’s not a name you want to be compared to right now.

Grade: C

Taurean Prince
25 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 3-7 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-7 FT, -18

What did Prince do well today?

He didn't shoot much and when he did, he wasn't converting. Darvin Ham has commended his ability to spread the floor, but that wasn't seen against the Hawks. He didn't facilitate the ball well and the only justification I see for him starting is because he's been starting all season. On a year when a team is underperforming, that's not a justifiable answer.

That's not Prince's fault; he plays when asked, but the performance he gave tonight was terrible.

Grade: F

Jaxson Hayes
24 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, 3-4 FG, -11

I almost feel bad for Hayes.

He hasn't played a shift in non-garbage time all January, but with Davis out, Ham opts to start him to keep Christian Wood in his standard role coming off the bench. He played more today than he has all season and it went how you imagined it would.

He was overwhelmed, looking like a baby giraffe learning how to walk on the defensive side of the ball. He finished fine at the rim, but going from the Russell and Davis pick-and-roll to Russell and Hayes is the biggest drop-off I can imagine. The Hawks took advantage and hopefully, the Lakers never play Hayes this much ever again.

Grade: F

D'Angelo Russell
27 minutes, 9 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 3-11 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, -11

Russell has been pretty good this season, but tonight? He was a shell of himself. With Davis gone, so was his offense. He had zero chemistry with Hayes and was unable to do anything offensively and as we know, he's average at best defensively.

It didn't help that the guard the Lakers are reportedly interested in, Dejounte Murray, played far better than him in this matchup, but that's beside the point. He was bad tonight and no context can justify it.

Grade: F

Jarred Vanderbilt
26 minutes, 12 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 6-6 FG, 0-1 FT, -9

Vanderbilt might be the one player who played around the level you expect him to be at.

He was perfect from the field, grabbed his rebounds and was respectable defensively. It would've been nice to see him get the start and hopefully he will start breaking 30 minutes of play soon, as this team desperately needs a spark defensively instead of playing from behind in so many of these matchups.

Grade: B

Max Christie
11 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT -5

He scored a couple of buckets, gave a good effort on his assignments on the wing and didn't play afterward. If there was ever a game to give Christie some more run and see if he could make a difference, it was this one. It seems Ham is focused on giving him short shifts and that's about it.

Grade: B-

Rui Hachimura
23 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 7-11 FG, 2-4 3PT, 0-2 FT, -9

Hachimura gave you a decent showing on offense, but his slow feet on the perimeter allowed the Hawks to apply pressure on the rim and with Davis out, that pressure became buckets on buckets.

No one helped make up for Davis' absence and that includes Hachimura. You needed more from the supporting cast and it just wasn't given.

Grade: B-

Christian Wood
22 minutes, 9 points, 2 assists, 8 rebounds, 4-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, -4

Can't blame Wood for this game.

He was who he is: a backup center scoring a few buckets and grabbing a handful of rebounds. Ham didn't want to expand his role, so he played well during his shifts, even if it didn't matter because the game was consistently out of reach.

Grade: B-

Jalen Hood-Schifino, Skylar Mays, Dylan Windler, Maxwell Lewis
All the rookies and two-way guys played during the closing minutes of garbage time and didn't play long enough or at an important point of the game to warrant a grade, good or bad. I'm glad they got some run and wish it was under better circumstances.

Darvin Ham
Starting Jaxson Hayes was a mistake and set this team up for failure. I understand the continuity play, but at what cost and is it worth it? It was not and they paid for it. Then, in the third quarter, he doubled down and brought that lineup out again.

Why is James playing 30-plus minutes in a game the Lakers trailed by 10 or more points during the entire second half? It's bad enough you lost, but can he rest at least? There are no positive takeaways from Ham's decisions tonight and while I won't be starting the #FireHam campaign, fans will continue to drum up noise and use performances like tonight's as examples of why Ham ain't it.

Grade: F

[A Mad Chinaman]