Lakers player grades: L.A. clips the Pelicans’ wings, gets back on track

The new-look Los Angeles Lakers finally took the court together in their entirety on Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, as LeBron James returned to the lineup after missing three games with a left foot ailment.

They employed a starting lineup that included all three players they acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade along with James and Anthony Davis. Los Angeles got out to a fast start, moving out to a 17-4 lead, but that advantage got trimmed to four at halftime.

The Lakers reasserted themselves in the third quarter, reestablishing a double-digit lead, and they would never give it up, as they grounded the Pelicans with a 120-102 victory.

It was an imperfect win, as L.A. shot just 27.0 percent from 3-point range and 61.1 percent from the free throw line. Still, it got itself a very important win as it heads into the long All-Star break.

After three or four subpar games, Davis got back to basics on Wednesday. He feasted early on multiple easy baskets that were set up by his teammates, and he made the most of his opportunities, as he shot 13-of-17 from the field, giving him 28 points in 30 minutes.

Davis also got 10 rebounds, dished off five assists and added two blocked shots and one steal. He did a better job of attacking the basket off the dribble compared to the last few games, which is when he is most effective, as opposed to when he settles for perimeter jumpers.

This was a quiet game for Vanderbilt, who had six points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 28 minutes.

But he appears to be the type of player whose impact goes beyond his numbers. For instance, his mere presence dissuaded Pelicans players from shooting the ball or attacking the basket. In addition, his effort in boxing out makes it easier for his teammates to come up with rebounds.

In his first two games with the Lakers, Vanderbilt came off the bench, but tonight he was in the starting lineup. That will be something to watch moving forward as far as how head coach Darvin Ham decides to use him.

James had a quiet night with just 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and one block while missing all five of his 3-point attempts. Is it possible he was taking it easy considering he’s dealing with a painful left foot ailment?

One bright spot is that he played just 29 minutes. The Lakers absolutely must get James’ minutes down for the rest of regular season, and with Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura, Ham will have no excuse to not do so.

In his first game at home as a Laker since 2017, Russell did rather well, going 3-of-5 from downtown and hitting 8-of-10 from the charity stripe to score 21 points, while dropping seven dimes and committing just one turnover.

He brings a much different complexion than Westbrook did at the point guard position. For one thing, opponents will no longer be able to use drop coverage on the Lakers’ pick-and-rolls, as Russell loves to hit 3-pointers off that type of action. Such plays should also potentially get others such as Davis easy looks over time.

Beasley got off to a decent start, but he lost steam as the game wore on. He finished 2-of-7 from beyond the arc and scored eight points, to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 23 minutes.

He is a streaky shooter, but if he has more good streaks than bad ones with the Lakers, he will be a big help for them.

It was a rough night for Hachimura, who missed all four of his 3-point attempts and scored just four points in 16 minutes. Three of those treys rimmed in and out, and his arc was flat on his shots.

Hachimura will likely need to tweak his jumper during the offseason to not only add some arc to it but to also eliminate his tendency to lean in on his shot release.

Brown was one of only a couple of Lakers who shot well from the outside. He converted on 2-of-3 attempts from downtown and finished with six points, four boards, three assists and one steal in 18 minutes.

Bamba had a somewhat difficult debut in the Purple and Gold. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts and spent much of the night in foul trouble, as he committed three quick fouls in his first-half stint.

On the other hand, he did grab six rebounds and block three shots in 16 minutes, and those are two qualities that will help his new team even when his outside shot isn’t going through the hoop.

In 20 minutes off the bench, Schroder scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, although he missed three of his six foul shot attempts.

If he continues to come off the bench, he will be able to play free and easy with the second unit without having to defer to James, Davis and Russell offensively.

Reaves hit 1-of-2 shots (both were from 3-point land) and finished with five points, three assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

As apparently the odd man out in Ham’s backcourt rotation (at least for now), Walker came in during garbage time and quickly got himself two buckets in four attempts, giving him four points in just three minutes.

Gabriel and Reed came in at the end with the outcome settled. Gabriel only contributed one assist, while Reed was able to hit a trey on his lone field-goal attempt.