Lakers News: Doug McKain's Player Grades For Clippers Loss

Unpacking an uneven Lakers performance.

Your Los Angeles Lakers are reeling after an 0-2 start to their 2022-23 season. Last night, squaring off against their far superior Crypto.com Arena neighbors the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers did their darnedest to stave off the Clips late, but the team unfortunately played Russell Westbrook just enough in the fourth quarter to lose, 103-97.

In a fresh video hot off the presses, Doug McKain of Lakers 248 unpacks L.A.'s miserable night. McKain notes that head coach Darvin Ham put Westbrook back onto the floor late and benched the much-better Juan Toscano-Anderson for a couple minutes during the end of regulation, but by the time Ham brought in Austin Reaves for Westbrook, it was a little too late.

McKain notes that the Lakers had a rough shooting night, going 9-for-45 from long range and 13-of-55 overall from beyond the paint.

So who actually had a decent night? Let's unpack McKain's player rankings.

LeBron James: B

"He definitely has been settling for too many outside shots early on in the first two games in my opinion. But when he attacks the paint... he's still as unstoppable as ever," McKain says. "He still has that athleticism... You want to see him be more efficient."

Anthony Davis: A

"He was disruptive on the defensive end, but offensively he produced as well," McKain notes. "Yes he did get banged up, but still, 32 minutes, 25 points, efficient. When he's on the floor, he's still an elite player."

Russell Westbrook: D

"Russ definitely struggled on the offensive end," McKain observes. "Look, I don't care if Russell Westbrook is playing a JV squad from Santa Monica, he should not be shooting six three-pointers under any circumstances. And you can just feel that collective cringe at the Crypt... Defensively he was more engaged, his defense on Kawhi Leonard was more impressive... Offensively, it was an F, but he did some nice things on the defensive end."

Lonnie Walker IV: A

"My biggest takeaway as... something to feel good about is Lonnie Walker's performance tonight," McKain reflects. "I just love how slippery he is in the paint... He definitely attacks the paint pretty much better than anyone named LeBron James on this team so far this season... It feels like he's this year's Malik Monk."

Juan Toscano-Anderson: B

"JTA I think defensively he's so engaged, he's so active. The defense at times was very impressive," McKain states. "He can definitely be a role player that this Lakers team can trust. He provides that emotional spark, he's versatile."

Tune in to the video to check out the rest of McKain's player rankings (yes, he does flunk someone) and some of his other insights into the game!