Lakers First Quarter Report Card: Grading JJ Redick, LeBron and every rotation player

Gather round, members of the Los Angeles Lakers, because the front of the refrigerator has been cleared to make room for your first-quarter report cards and we'd love to see how you did.

Sure, it may be closer to a third of the way through the season, as the Lakers have played 26 of 82 games, but who's counting? Basketball is an inexact science anyway, so let's just chalk this one up to having a few too many teacher workdays.

Today we're going to be giving out grades to everyone that matters on this Lakers team, from Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick all the way to Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the rest of the players. We'll even give an overall team grade at the end and talk about what the Lakers need to do to make the honor roll next quarter.

Let's begin in the front office and work our way down, shall we?

Rob Pelinka first quarter grade: C+

Perhaps the most fitting grade for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka would be "incomplete," because he'll mostly be judged by what he's able to accomplish at the trade deadline.

Let's look at what Pelinka has done so far. He didn't make any moves of note this offseason, either through free agency or by swinging an impact trade, but the fact of the matter is that the Lakers salary cap situation didn't leave him much wiggle room. That's not to say that he took the summer off, though. He led one of the most fascinating coaching searches in recent years, ultimately landing on JJ Redick after being spurned by UConn coach Dan Hurley. We'll save Redick's grade for our next entry, but Pelinka did well to find a young coach that can relate to today's players. As long as Redick doesn't burn himself out, he looks like he'll be a keeper.

Pelinka got great value by picking Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick in the draft. He gets credit for that, because even though in hindsight it seems like any team would have taken the former Tennessee Volunteer, the reality is that 16 teams did pass on him. He also selected Bronny James in the second round, but we won't patronize our readers by suggesting he had anything to do with that decision.

JJ Redick first quarter grade: B

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for JJ Redick in his first year on the Lakers bench, but we like what we've seen. Redick has shown an ability to innovate instead of just letting his team run the same stuff they did under Darvin Ham. He installed Anthony Davis as the focal point of the offense, which has proven to be a smart move, and although L.A. has tailed off a bit on the offensive end lately, Redick's system has helped the team get to the free throw line more than anyone else in the league.

Redick has also shown an ability to adjust, such as when he moved D'Angelo Russell to the bench and made LeBron James play more point forward. That move paid immediate dividends, but because LeBron has begun to wear down from the extra workload, Redick will have to adjust again. He already showed a firm hand by not letting LeBron chase his preseason promise of playing in every game. Sometimes the best thing a coach can do is save a player from himself.

Though Redick has done some good things, it hasn't all been rainbows and gumdrops for him. The Lakers defense is abhorrent and shows no sign of improvement. A repeated lack of effort that has led to several blowouts is a concerning development, and the responsibility for that lies with the head coach.

Redick seems to take every loss extremely hard, but he's going to have to pace himself to survive in such a high-pressure job.

Anthony Davis first quarter grade: A-

If anyone on the Lakers deserves to make the dean's list, it's Anthony Davis. AD has been the most consistent player on the team, and other than a couple of uncharacteristic off-nights, he's played at close to an MVP level. In a world without Nikola Jokic, he'd be in the conversation.

It's frightening to think of where the Lakers would be without Davis. He's their only defensive player of note, and he remains a matchup nightmare on offense. His 27.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game lead the team, and he's getting to the line more often than anyone not named Giannis Antetokounmpo. If L.A. is going to avoid the play-in and grab a top-six seed, it'll be Davis who deserves the credit.

LeBron James first quarter grade: B

When your favorite band puts out an album that's not their best work, but it's still better than what almost anyone else could do, what kind of grade do you give to them? That's the question we have to ask of LeBron James, because he's set the bar so unreachably high during his incredible career that any sign of weakness is a shock.

Even though his peak is behind him, LeBron still brings so much to the table. He's nearly averaging a triple-double, with 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. At one point, he put up four triple-doubles in a row, something no player his age has ever done. Even at 39, LeBron still commands the defense's attention, and his presence helps AD and everyone else play their best.

Now for the bad news. LeBron is the primary reason why L.A.'s defense is so putrid. He missed the Lakers' recent game against the Blazers, and the team responded with its best defensive effort of the season. That hurts.

LeBron has also been turning the ball over at an alarmingly high rate, and his three-point shot, which started the year strong, has regressed big-time. All of this is likely a product of being overworked, which is something the Lakers could fix if they trade for a ballhandler at the deadline.

Overall, LeBron is still great, he just hasn't been as great as he usually is.

Austin Reaves first quarter grade: B-

Austin Reaves is a tough player to grade. He's clearly the Lakers third-most important player, and he's putting up very similar numbers to last year. His scoring is actually up from 15.9 points per game to 16.9 this season, but that's mostly due to taking about two more shots a game. He's only shooting 43.4 percent from the floor, which is the lowest number of his career and a steep drop from last year's 48.6 percent.

Reaves is still an important facilitator, as his 5.0 assists per game trail only LeBron for the team lead. Like King James though, Reaves is a liability on defense. He struggles to stay in front of most opposing guards one-on-one, and do you remember that game that LeBron missed and the defense showed up? Reaves missed it too.

Working in Reaves' favor is his contract, which at four years and $53.8 million is a real bargain for how important he is to this team. To earn a higher grade as the season goes on, we'd love to see him get those shooting numbers up.

Rui Hachimura first quarter grade: C

C is an average grade, right? Then that's what Rui Hachimura gets. The power forward is a perfectly serviceable fourth or fifth option, but he's never really the reason the Lakers win or lose.

Rui has missed a few games this year with a sprained ankle, but when he's on the court, the Lakers know what they're going to get: somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 points and five rebounds per game, with acceptable defense and good floor spacing.

It will be interesting to see if Rui is part of a package deal for a bigger name at the deadline, or if he'll stay put. The Lakers played their best ball when Dalton Knecht filled in during Rui's injury absence, so don't be surprised if they pair Rui and D'Angelo Russell together to bring in someone better while also giving the rookie some more shine.

D'Angelo Russell first quarter grade: C-

Statistically, D-lo is putting up the worst numbers of his career. His inconsistent effort got him demoted to the bench, and though he's acquitted himself better with the second unit, more should be expected of a guy that was a former No. 2 overall pick.

Russell's scoring is down over 5.5 points per game, and his assists are lower than they've been since his first two seasons. He shoots more three than twos, but he's only 33.3 percent from deep and 41 percent overall.

Russell's name is going to come up a lot as the trade deadline approaches. The Lakers need someone they can count on to help LeBron run the offense, but with Dennis Schroder gone to Golden State, one target is already off the board.

Russell is capable of getting hot for stretches, but that only brings into focus how maddening it is that he can't consistenly perform at that level. The talent is there, but it's clear at this point of his career that he's never going to totally put it together.

Dalton Knecht first quarter grade: B

This grade would probably have been an A if we handed out assessments a few weeks ago, but Dalton Knecht has come back to earth after looking like he would make a serious run at Rookie of the Year.

Knecht has scored in double figures only once in seven games in December. He seems to be going through a crisis of confidence, and his minutes have dropped three games in a row. He showed earlier this year though that he's capable of getting insanely hot — just ask the Jazz, who got bombarded for 37 points on 9-12 shooting from deep a month ago.

Knecht's recent swoon hasn't been enough to ruin his status as one of the best rookie's in this year's class. His 10.6 points per game rank seventh among first-year players, and only Jared McCain of the Sixers is averaging more threes per game.

The best compliment we can give Knecht, and it's a rare one for a rookie, is that he's the Lakers' X-factor. When he goes on a tear, the Lakers are really tough to beat. We just need to see it happen more consistently.

The rest of the Lakers first quarter grade: D

After the top six players on the Lakers roster, there isn't much to see. Gabe Vincent doesn't look like he'll ever find the form he showed at the end of his time in Miami. Max Christie averages just over 20 minutes per game, but his contribution to the box score is minimal. Jaxson Hayes has only played 11 games due to a repeatedly sprained ankle, and Cam Reddish's time as a contributor was short-lived.

Having a quality bench is vital to surviving the grind of the regular season. The Lakers are at a disadvantage in this respect against nearly every serious team they face.

Lakers overall first quarter grade: B-

It's impossible to be too high or too low on the Lakers right now. Anthony Davis has been great, but LeBron is showing is age. JJ Redick hasn't looked like he's in over his head, but the team's defense has been abysmal. The bench is ineffectual and there have been some ugly losses. All in all, Lakers fans have to be happy to be sitting at 14-12 and just a game out of the five-seed, but this team needs to make some upgrades if there's any hope of making noise in the playoffs.