Lakers player grades: L.A. drops meaningless regular-season finale

USA Today

14-04-2025

Lakers player grades: L.A. drops meaningless regular-season finale
After clinching the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers played a largely meaningless game on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers to close out the regular season. This game was even more meaningless given the fact that they opted to rest most of their rotational players, including all five of their starters.
It was an opportunity for some of the Lakers' young prospects and benchwarmers to get significant playing time. While a few of them performed well, the team as a whole didn't. After a relatively competitive first quarter, Los Angeles fell apart, as it got outrebounded badly and regularly gave the ball away. It shot just 38.8% from the field and gave up 27 offensive rebounds, which led to 34 second-chance points, and it committed 21 turnovers while getting outscored 52-34 in the paint.
The result was a 109-81 loss for L.A. Now it is time for the team to get ready to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Markieff Morris: B-plus
Morris, a veteran power forward/center who played on the Lakers when they won the NBA championship in 2020, started at the 4 and had a solid game. He made half of his 10 shot attempts, got four rebounds, dished off six assists and added one steal and one block in 33 minutes.
It is very unlikely he will see any playing time in the playoffs, except perhaps in garbage time, but he did show that he has a little bit of game left in his 35-year-old body.
Alex Len: D-plus
Len showed why he never really cracked head coach JJ Redick's rotation after he was signed from the buyout market in February. He played just 14 minutes and only mustered four points, two rebounds, one assist and one block.
He isn't the defensive presence near the rim the Lakers hoped he could be, and offensively, he makes just about no impact.
Shake Milton: C-plus
Milton is another player whom some held out some hope for when he joined the team earlier this season. He was included in the trade that brought Dorian Finney-Smith to L.A. in late December, but he hasn't been able to deliver consistent results, especially on the offensive end of the court.
On Sunday, the guard played 43 minutes, but he made only five of his 15 shot attempts. He was able to score a decent 16 points by hitting five of his six free throw attempts, and he chipped in three assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block.
Dalton Knecht: A-minus
Knecht, the No. 17 pick in last year's NBA draft, reminded everyone of his potential on Sunday. He had fallen out of the rotation over the last few weeks, but he played 37 minutes versus Portland and shot 9-of-21 overall and 5-of-12 from 3-point range. He ended up scoring 27 points, and he also added eight rebounds and even blocked two shots.
Bronny James: D
James had a strong and promising regular season in the G League. But Sunday was a reminder that he just isn't ready for the NBA. Despite largely playing under control, he went just 2-of-10 from the field and was limited to four points. He did, however, finish with six assists, four steals and three rebounds in 38 minutes.
Jordan Goodwin: B-minus
Goodwin, who was called up from the G League several weeks ago, seems to have firmly entrenched himself in Redick's rotation. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 5-of-14 on Sunday but made two of his five 3-point attempts, giving him 12 points plus seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
He is a significant part of the Lakers' new identity as a team that is able to grind and hustle when needed. While none of the team's reserves have the ability to be true scoring threats, Goodwin has joined Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent as legitimate hard-hat players off the bench.
Christian Koloko: A-minus
Koloko, a seven-foot tall 24-year-old center who is on a two-way contract, is someone the Lakers have been hoping to develop into a legitimate rotational player, especially given their weak center rotation. On Sunday, he played like someone worthy of a spot in the rotation. He grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots in just 19 minutes, and in his spare time, he made two of his four shot attempts to score four points.
Trey Jemison III: B
Jemison, another two-way center, played a solid game on Sunday. In 25 minutes, he came down with eight rebounds and added three points, one assist and one block. However, he committed five turnovers.