Player Grades: Lakers vs. Warriors

It’s been a long, long time since the Lakers have had a defense like the one they appear to have this season. With the caveat of it just being the second game of the season, the 26 turnovers forced against the Clippers were more than they forced in any game last season.

Pair that with the 16 turnovers forced against the Warriors in the first game — nine of those coming in the third quarter — and the Lakers have a defense that can swarm teams and create chaos. That’s not been a quality of the Lakers’ defense in recent seasons, or for a long time, really.

Advertisement

It lets them not only disrupt the opponent’s offense but also get easy buckets. They scored 33 points on those 26 turnovers and took more shots in the first three quarters, even while shooting 61% from the field. If it’s a trend that continues, these Lakers will be able to get out and run and be a particularly fun team this season.

And for those wondering, yes, I did completely forget about these articles throughout the preseason and opening game of the year. But we’re back and you can yell at me all you want now.

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

Matisse Thybulle

23 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 5-8 FG, 3-6 3PT, +13

Advertisement

Thybulle showed off a no-dip 3-pointer in the preseason and apparently fell in love with it because I’m not sure he dipped on any of his six 3-point attempts tonight.

Grade: B+

Ziaire Williams

30 minutes, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls, 5-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-3 FT +9

It was a great showing on both ends from Williams. He gives the Lakers as athletic a wing as they’ve had in years. His ability to hound players defensively also is something the team hasn’t had from someone that size in a long time either.

Grade: A-

Walker Kessler

34 minutes, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 10-14 FG, 2-5 FT +18

Advertisement

A truly awful performance from Kessler as he only shoots 71.4% from the field and not a perfect 100%.

Jokes aside,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/player-grades-lakers-vs-warriors-054432704.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-24 05:44:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.