Early season grades for the Lakers: Checking in on Anthony Davis, JJ Redick, LeBron and Bronny James and others

Expectations are a funny thing in the NBA. If a team exceeds expectations, it can change the entire trajectory of a franchise. If a team falls short of where they were expected to be, it can result in trades, firings and even tanking.

Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are two examples that, for various reasons, have come up short in the first few weeks of the season. On the flip side, teams like the still-undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have exceeded even the most optimistic of preseason projections.

The Los Angeles Lakers, at least through the first 10 games of the season, have to feel pretty good about where they're at compared to where they were expected to be. There's a lot of season to go, but L.A. is on pace for just under 50 wins while playing a tougher-than-average schedule. That's better than the 43.5 win total that most sportsbooks offered in the preseason, and it's especially impressive considering the Lakers have gotten off to a good start with a first-time head coach in JJ Redick.

Keeping in mind that it's still very early and a lot will change between now and playoff time, let's hand out some grades.

Anthony Davis gets an A through 10 games

What else is there to say about Anthony Davis at this point? The Lakers big man has played the best basketball of his career to start the year. He's always been the best defender on the team, and that's still the case, but now he's also handling the biggest scoring load on the team, too.

Davis leads the entire league with 31.2 points per game, and it really hasn't mattered who other teams have thrown at him, he's made the offense hum all season. His best finish in the MVP race was third place way back in 2018, but if he keeps this up, he has a real shot to make a run at it this year.

The only thing holding Davis back from an A+ grade is that he's gotten a bit banged up already, though it's hardly been his fault. He had to miss the remainder of the Raptors game on Sunday after he got his eye poked while making a highlight reel block on Jakob Poeltl in the third quarter, and he missed a game against the Grizzlies with a sore heel. Other than that, it's been all AD, all the time. We don't know where the Lakers would be without him, but it would be no place good.

LeBron James gets an A- through 10 games

Though Davis has certainly taken up the mantle of becoming the Lakers' best player, LeBron James has still been incredibly impressive, even more so considering that this is his 22nd year in the league.

LeBron has been so good for so long because he's married his insane strength and athleticism with a one-of-one basketball IQ. This year has proven how well LeBron can adapt, as he's raised his three point percentage considerably in the face of the three-point revolution that the sport has undergone. LeBron is currently shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, easily the best mark of his career, but he hasn't let that distract from his playmaking, which still remains elite.

LeBron's 8.9 assists per game currently rank fifth in the league, and it's also the third-best rate of his career. There will come a point somewhere in the future where LeBron begins to fall of, but amazingly, we're not there yet.

Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura get a B through 10 games

Let's move on to the two players behind AD and LeBron that matter the most to the Lakers. Austin Reaves has been the model of consistency this year, as his stats are eerily similar in almost all respects to what he put up last season. Behind LeBron, he's been the team's best playmaker and three-point shooter.

Rui Hachimura has cooled off after a hot start, as he's only shooting 27 percent in his last four games. Hachimura scored at least 14 points in the first four games of the season, but has yet to hit double figures since. For someone that's playing over 33 minutes per game, the Lakers need more from him going forward.

D'Angelo Russell gets a C- through 10 games

If there's been a weak spot in the Lakers starting lineup through the first 10 games of the season, it's been D'Angelo Russell. This is one that NBA fans could see coming, as Russell's name has been a fixture in the trade rumor mill since he picked up his one-year player option to return to L.A. this summer.

Russell hasn't shot the ball well to start the year, and he was recently called out by JJ Redick for having a "lack of compete" and a poor attention to detail, which is why Redick benched him in favor of Cam Reddish. Russell took issue with his place in Darvin Ham's rotation last year, but surprisingly, Redick's benching seems to have had a positive impact on his point guard's play. Still, it seems a near certainty that Russell will be moved before the trade deadline, either on his own or packaged with someone like Hachimura for a bigger name.

JJ Redick gets a B+ through 10 games

Redick seems to have pushed the right buttons with Russell in converting him to more of a sixth man role, and he deserves credit for centering the team around Davis, who has really thrived with his newfound responsibility.

As a newcomer to the coaching ranks, Redick doesn't totally act the part yet, as we saw when he abruptly left a press conference last week. He's refreshingly candid about what he sees on the court, which might rub some the wrong way. It's definitely having a positive impact on his team though, as any observer can tell that he's demanding more from his players than they were used to under Darvin Ham. That's a good sign going forward.

Redick has installed an offense centered less around iso ball and more around ball movement, and the results have been great. Whereas last year L.A. ranked ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio, this year they're up to second, trailing only the Denver Nuggets.

Redick has also taken the ball out of LeBron's hands more, not because he's any less capable, but because the team needs him fresh come playoff time. That's smart coaching.

The Lakers bench gets a C- through 10 games

There's not much to be said about the Lakers bench through the first 10 games of the season. The Lakers have been bleeding when they don't have AD and LeBron on the court together, because few players on the bench have provided a meaningful contribution.

Jaxson Hayes has been serviceable as AD's backup, but he's set to miss multiple weeks after spraining his ankle in practice Tuesday, plus he may miss even more time now that the NBA has reopened its investigation into a past domestic violence episode.

Cam Reddish has looked good since making his season debut. He's given the Lakers a much-needed boost on the defensive end, and he's been efficient thus far on offense, though his shot attempts are way down from previous years. His length and switchability should ensure a continued role for him.

Gabe Vincent, Max Christie and Dalton Knecht have been unable to achieve any kind of consistency from the three-point line, which is what the Lakers really need out of them. All three are below 30 percent from deep, but I guess it bodes well for the Lakers if they've been able to go 6-4 anyway.

The Lakers bench could get a boost whenever Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood return, though Lakers fans have been frustrated as their injury recoveries have taken longer than expected.

Bronny James gets a D through 10 games

Bronny James is technically part of the Lakers bench, but with how much attention he's received, he needs his own grade. It's been a difficult adjustment to NBA life for the second-round pick, as he's only appeared in a handful of games for a couple of minutes at a time.

Bronny has four points on the year, but with the G League season now up and running, he'll be shuttling between L.A. and South Bay. Unfortunately, his G League debut on Saturday didn't go so well, as he scored six points on 2/10 shooting while turning the ball over five times.

Bronny is being held to a higher standard and criticized more because of his last name, but it would probably be in the best interests of Bronny and Lakers fans if he was allowed to develop in a bit more anonymity.

Rob Pelinka gets a B through 10 games

How do we give general manager Rob Pelinka a grade when he didn't do much this offseason? Let's look at the few things he actually did.

It's too early to definitively say one way or another, but Pelinka's hire of JJ Redick looks like a good one right now. The culture and vibe around the team are better, and Redick has made noticeable positive changes to the way the team plays. Pelinka got some heat for hiring someone with no coaching experience, but so far, so good.

Though Dalton Knecht hasn't done much in the regular season yet, I still expect Pelinka to look good when it's all said and done for selecting him 17th in the draft. Knecht showed that he's capable of really popping in the preseason, and it seems only a matter of time until he has the confidence to do it when it counts. As for Bronny, we all know that wasn't Pelinka's decision, so we can't grade him good, bad or otherwise for that.

Pelinka's most important work is yet to come, as he gets ready to navigate the trade market. Does he move D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura? Maybe all three? What kind of player(s) can he bring in that can take the Lakers to the next level? All kinds of rumors are out there, and Lakers fans can't wait to see if Pelinka makes a run at Trae Young, Michael Porter Jr., Jakob Poeltl, Walker Kessler or someone else in the weeks to come.