Mid-season grades (1st quarter thread combined)

[3Peatkb24]

Starters
Russell - B, would be an A but he has been injured. Still a solid B as when he has been in he hasn't disappointed!
Young - A-, miles better than last season but he is now injured and missed tonight's game.
Deng - D, not an F but he has been disappointing so far! He has done some things that have helped the team but looks lost at times.
Randle - A
Mozzy - C, I went C as he has filled his role decent at times but is Average at best. He is better than Sacre or Roy!

Bench
Clarkson - A
Sweet Lou - A
Ingram - C, the Rook has struggled but he is a Rookie and has had a couple of Good games. Cant go higher than a C but he isn't lower than a C either as he is just a Rookie.
Nance - B
Black - C, like Mozzy he has filled a decent role but nothing to brag about.
Calderon - C, being asked to do what is needed at times but it's tough to give a player higher than a C when he doesn't contribute much.
Huertas - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
MWP - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
Zubac - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.

Head Coach
Luke Walton A+ I never give out A+'s but he deserves it for guiding us to a 10-10 record in the 1st Qtr of the season with Russell being out several games. We only won 17 games last season and already have 10 heading into December.

*Best player award so far is tough because we play as a solid unit but I would say Randle over Clarkson by a nose. Randle's Rebounding has been beastly and he is a Good scorer to go with that! He brings an attitude to the team that is needed. He has also played through a hip injury which is tough to do. He has missed a couple of games but has played for the most part.

*Overall team grade = B, normally at .500 I would say C but because we only won 17 games last season and have had some key injuries I say B. This team is actually over achieving and that is why I gave Luke an A+. I do want to add we have had a Bitch of a schedule as well, so 10-10 is a solid B at this point IMO.

[Lakers4Life]

Great post 3-Peat. I'd give your post an A+


Minor tweaks I would make from your list though:

I would give Tariq Black more than a C. I'd give him a B+ (He was not utilized by Scott properly. He is getting minutes and a nice role with Walton and is making the most of it)

I also would give Sweet Lou Williams a A+ (instead of an A) He's been our go to guy in the 4th quarters & has filled it nicely!!

[3Peatkb24]

Great post 3-Peat. I'd give your post an A+


Minor tweaks I would make from your list though:

I would give Tariq Black more than a C. I'd give him a B+ (He was not utilized by Scott properly. He is getting minutes and a nice role with Walton and is making the most of it)

I also would give Sweet Lou Williams a A+ (instead of an A) He's been our go to guy in the 4th quarters & has filled it nicely!!

Thanks Craig, yeah I rarely give out A+'s and between Sweet Lou, Clarkson, and Randle I was having a tough time deciding who should get best player. I gave it to Randle for the reasons I posted and he is a starter as well. Russell when healthy is technically our best player IMO but because he has missed 7 games I gave him a B and the other 3 guys an A, more credit.

[3Peatkb24]

Starters
Russell - B, would be an A but he has been injured. Still a solid B as when he has been in he hasn't disappointed!
Young - A-, miles better than last season but he is now injured and missed tonight's game.
Deng - D, not an F but he has been disappointing so far! He has done some things that have helped the team but looks lost at times.
Randle - A
Mozzy - C, I went C as he has filled his role decent at times but is Average at best. He is better than Sacre or Roy!

Bench
Clarkson - A
Sweet Lou - A
Ingram - C, the Rook has struggled but he is a Rookie and has had a couple of Good games. Cant go higher than a C but he isn't lower than a C either as he is just a Rookie.
Nance - B
Black - C, like Mozzy he has filled a decent role but nothing to brag about.
Calderon - C, being asked to do what is needed at times but it's tough to give a player higher than a C when he doesn't contribute much.
Huertas - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
MWP - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
Zubac - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.

Head Coach
Luke Walton A+ I never give out A+'s but he deserves it for guiding us to a 10-10 record in the 1st Qtr of the season with Russell being out several games. We only won 17 games last season and already have 10 heading into December.

*Best player award so far is tough because we play as a solid unit but I would say Randle over Clarkson by a nose. Randle's Rebounding has been beastly and he is a Good scorer to go with that! He brings an attitude to the team that is needed. He has also played through a hip injury which is tough to do. He has missed a couple of games but has played for the most part.

*Overall team grade = B, normally at .500 I would say C but because we only won 17 games last season and have had some key injuries I say B. This team is actually over achieving and that is why I gave Luke an A+. I do want to add we have had a Bitch of a schedule as well, so 10-10 is a solid B at this point IMO.

To nit pick my own Post Randle has missed 4 games (I said a couple) but it could've much more with a hip injury. Still 16 games and playing through injury is a nice sample size to give him best player (Russ has missed 7 games for example). In 16 games he is averaging over 13 Points and over 8 Rebounds and he had 20 Rebounds tonight! 20 is Dennis Rodman material!! He is also very Efficient = shooting 53.8% from the field. The guy is turning into a young ZBo right before eyes. Those lefty's are tough to stop down low!

[Lakers4Life]

Starters
Russell - B, would be an A but he has been injured. Still a solid B as when he has been in he hasn't disappointed!
Young - A-, miles better than last season but he is now injured and missed tonight's game.
Deng - D, not an F but he has been disappointing so far! He has done some things that have helped the team but looks lost at times.
Randle - A
Mozzy - C, I went C as he has filled his role decent at times but is Average at best. He is better than Sacre or Roy!

Bench
Clarkson - A
Sweet Lou - A
Ingram - C, the Rook has struggled but he is a Rookie and has had a couple of Good games. Cant go higher than a C but he isn't lower than a C either as he is just a Rookie.
Nance - B
Black - C, like Mozzy he has filled a decent role but nothing to brag about.
Calderon - C, being asked to do what is needed at times but it's tough to give a player higher than a C when he doesn't contribute much.
Huertas - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
MWP - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
Zubac - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.

Head Coach
Luke Walton A+ I never give out A+'s but he deserves it for guiding us to a 10-10 record in the 1st Qtr of the season with Russell being out several games. We only won 17 games last season and already have 10 heading into December.

*Best player award so far is tough because we play as a solid unit but I would say Randle over Clarkson by a nose. Randle's Rebounding has been beastly and he is a Good scorer to go with that! He brings an attitude to the team that is needed. He has also played through a hip injury which is tough to do. He has missed a couple of games but has played for the most part.

*Overall team grade = B, normally at .500 I would say C but because we only won 17 games last season and have had some key injuries I say B. This team is actually over achieving and that is why I gave Luke an A+. I do want to add we have had a Bitch of a schedule as well, so 10-10 is a solid B at this point IMO.

To nit pick my own Post Randle has missed 4 games (I said a couple) but it could've much more with a hip injury. Still 16 games and playing through injury is a nice sample size to give him best player (Russ has missed 7 games for example). In 16 games he is averaging over 13 Points and over 8 Rebounds and he had 20 Rebounds tonight! 20 is Dennis Rodman material!! He is also very Efficient = shooting 53% from the field. The guy is turning into a young ZBo right before eyes. Those lefty's are tough to stop down low!

Randle is getting better each and every game right before our eyes. Great pick by the front office.

[Lakers4Life]

BTW, Deng is NOT earning his BIG paycheck he's receiving from us

[3Peatkb24]

Starters
Russell - B, would be an A but he has been injured. Still a solid B as when he has been in he hasn't disappointed!
Young - A-, miles better than last season but he is now injured and missed tonight's game.
Deng - D, not an F but he has been disappointing so far! He has done some things that have helped the team but looks lost at times.
Randle - A
Mozzy - C, I went C as he has filled his role decent at times but is Average at best. He is better than Sacre or Roy!

Bench
Clarkson - A
Sweet Lou - A
Ingram - C, the Rook has struggled but he is a Rookie and has had a couple of Good games. Cant go higher than a C but he isn't lower than a C either as he is just a Rookie.
Nance - B
Black - C, like Mozzy he has filled a decent role but nothing to brag about.
Calderon - C, being asked to do what is needed at times but it's tough to give a player higher than a C when he doesn't contribute much.
Huertas - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
MWP - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
Zubac - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.

Head Coach
Luke Walton A+ I never give out A+'s but he deserves it for guiding us to a 10-10 record in the 1st Qtr of the season with Russell being out several games. We only won 17 games last season and already have 10 heading into December.

*Best player award so far is tough because we play as a solid unit but I would say Randle over Clarkson by a nose. Randle's Rebounding has been beastly and he is a Good scorer to go with that! He brings an attitude to the team that is needed. He has also played through a hip injury which is tough to do. He has missed a couple of games but has played for the most part.

*Overall team grade = B, normally at .500 I would say C but because we only won 17 games last season and have had some key injuries I say B. This team is actually over achieving and that is why I gave Luke an A+. I do want to add we have had a Bitch of a schedule as well, so 10-10 is a solid B at this point IMO.

To nit pick my own Post Randle has missed 4 games (I said a couple) but it could've much more with a hip injury. Still 16 games and playing through injury is a nice sample size to give him best player (Russ has missed 7 games for example). In 16 games he is averaging over 13 Points and over 8 Rebounds and he had 20 Rebounds tonight! 20 is Dennis Rodman material!! He is also very Efficient = shooting 53% from the field. The guy is turning into a young ZBo right before eyes. Those lefty's are tough to stop down low!

Randle is getting better each and every game right before our eyes. Great pick by the front office.

Yeah he and Russell both are going to be All-Stars eventually IMO, I still think Ingram has the best upside out those 3 but Ingram has struggled with his shot so far this season more than I expected. He needs to put on weight too.

[3Peatkb24]

BTW, Deng is NOT earning his BIG paycheck he's receiving from us

Yeah he looks lost at times like he doesn't fit it. He is only shooting 33% from the field which is lousy. He got my lowest grade, only player lower than a C IMO.

[3Peatkb24]

Starters
Russell - B, would be an A but he has been injured. Still a solid B as when he has been in he hasn't disappointed!
Young - A-, miles better than last season but he is now injured and missed tonight's game.
Deng - D, not an F but he has been disappointing so far! He has done some things that have helped the team but looks lost at times.
Randle - A
Mozzy - C, I went C as he has filled his role decent at times but is Average at best. He is better than Sacre or Roy!

Bench
Clarkson - A
Sweet Lou - A
Ingram - C, the Rook has struggled but he is a Rookie and has had a couple of Good games. Cant go higher than a C but he isn't lower than a C either as he is just a Rookie.
Nance - B
Black - C, like Mozzy he has filled a decent role but nothing to brag about.
Calderon - C, being asked to do what is needed at times but it's tough to give a player higher than a C when he doesn't contribute much.
Huertas - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
MWP - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.
Zubac - Incomplete. He doesn't play enough for me to grade him.

Head Coach
Luke Walton A+ I never give out A+'s but he deserves it for guiding us to a 10-10 record in the 1st Qtr of the season with Russell being out several games. We only won 17 games last season and already have 10 heading into December.

*Best player award so far is tough because we play as a solid unit but I would say Randle over Clarkson and Sweet Lou by a nose. Randle's Rebounding has been beastly and he is a Good scorer to go with that! He brings an attitude to the team that is needed. He has also played through a hip injury which is tough to do. He has missed 4 games but has played for the most part.

*Overall team grade = B, normally at .500 I would say C but because we only won 17 games last season and have had some key injuries I say B. This team is actually over achieving and that is why I gave Luke an A+. I do want to add we have had a Bitch of a schedule as well, so 10-10 is a solid B at this point IMO.

Addition: I didn't forget Thomas Robinson but he just simply gets an Incomplete like Huertas, MWP, and Zubac. Hasn't played enough for a grade IMO. I also made the needed corrections to my original Post as well. All done here for tonight, Go Lakers!

[lakerevolution]

I agree with your grades (and Craig's critiques), Deng has been the only headscratcher for me so far but his locker room presence coupled with Mozzy's, Metta's and Luke's is definitely helping our youngsters keep level heads and see the bigger picture. Overall I give the team an A, Luke an A+, and our front office an A-. This is exactly the kind of atmosphere we need to attract more talent and get back into championship-caliber contention.

[KobeMVP888]

Here are my first quarter grades:

The Team: B+ Even though they are exceeding everyone's expectations, the starting five still hasn't gotten out of the gates and there are simply too many turnovers, many of which are the result of flat out dumb passes, points off of turnovers given up, porous interior defense and too many offensive rebounds/put backs allowed. I realize I am being picky and hard on a young team, but these are things that will be cleaned up, but that still frustrate me.

Luke and the Staff: A+ Yeah, I know. That is almost in full contradiction to my first grade, but the coaches don't play.

The Starters: D I have faith that once we're healthy again, this grade will improve.

The Bench: A+ Perhaps the best in the league. I suspect that Luke will leave it alone. Very exciting and seemingly a perfect blend of talent!

The Finishers: B+ Luke puts the 5 players on the floor who have had the best games and it has been a joy to watch. We have proven that we can compete with playoff teams down the stretch, even when we lose. The two Golden State blowout losses don't count.

The Players:

D'Angelo Russell: B (much improved; much to be improved)
Julius Randle: A- (at 22, he's already better and stronger than most NBA power forwards)
Nick Young: A- (Comeback Player of the Year?)
Luol Deng: D (a big disappointment so far)
Timofey Mozgov: C- (he is who he is; refs have forgotten about the verticality rule with him)
Jordan Clarkson: B+ (love him, but he's frustrating)
Lou Williams: A+ (Just a joy to watch!)
Larry Nance, Jr.: A (most fundamentally sound player on the team; his defense and high hoops IQ are incredible and just getting better)
Brandon Ingram: B (his defense makes up for his "Welcome to the NBA" scoring woes; a future DPOY candidate)
Tarik Black: B (I love him; leaves it all out on the floor. A fantastic compliment to Nance, Jr.)
Thomas Robinson: B (Great motor; quality minutes; can play with anyone out there)
Jose Calderon: C- (he's old and it shows; hurts us)
Marcelo Huertas: D (see Calderon. Not enough minutes to grade, but I'd look for a 3/D shooting guard to replace him on the roster)
Metta World Peace: C ("I love basketball" earned him the C. He should also be replaced on the roster at some point this season)
Ivica Zubac: Incomplete (Barring an injury to Mozzy or Black, we won't see much of him this season)

[3Peatkb24]

Here are my first quarter grades:

The Team: B+ Even though they are exceeding everyone's expectations, the starting five still hasn't gotten out of the gates and there are simply too many turnovers, many of which are the result of flat out dumb passes, points off of turnovers given up, porous interior defense and too many offensive rebounds/put backs allowed. I realize I am being picky and hard on a young team, but these are things that will be cleaned up, but that still frustrate me.

Luke and the Staff: A+ Yeah, I know. That is almost in full contradiction to my first grade, but the coaches don't play.

The Starters: D I have faith that once we're healthy again, this grade will improve.

The Bench: A+ Perhaps the best in the league. I suspect that Luke will leave it alone. Very exciting and seemingly a perfect blend of talent!

The Finishers: B+ Luke puts the 5 players on the floor who have had the best games and it has been a joy to watch. We have proven that we can compete with playoff teams down the stretch, even when we lose. The two Golden State blowout losses don't count.

The Players:

D'Angelo Russell: B (much improved; much to be improved)
Julius Randle: A- (at 22, he's already better and stronger than most NBA power forwards)
Nick Young: A- (Comeback Player of the Year?)
Luol Deng: D (a big disappointment so far)
Timofey Mozgov: C- (he is who he is; refs have forgotten about the verticality rule with him)
Jordan Clarkson: B+ (love him, but he's frustrating)
Lou Williams: A+ (Just a joy to watch!)
Larry Nance, Jr.: A (most fundamentally sound player on the team; his defense and high hoops IQ are incredible and just getting better)
Brandon Ingram: B (his defense makes up for his "Welcome to the NBA" scoring woes; a future DPOY candidate)
Tarik Black: B (I love him; leaves it all out on the floor. A fantastic compliment to Nance, Jr.)
Thomas Robinson: B (Great motor; quality minutes; can play with anyone out there)
Jose Calderon: C- (he's old and it shows; hurts us)
Marcelo Huertas: D (see Calderon. Not enough minutes to grade, but I'd look for a 3/D shooting guard to replace him on the roster)
Metta World Peace: C ("I love basketball" earned him the C. He should also be replaced on the roster at some point this season)
Ivica Zubac: Incomplete (Barring an injury to Mozzy or Black, we won't see much of him this season)

Great stuff. I like your overall breakdown as in how you graded the Starters and Bench separate as overall units. I do agree our Bench has been better as a whole and that is mainly due to Clarkson and Lou - both have been playing very solid all season. With Russell missing 7 games, Randle has had to carry most of the load for the Starters. I was hoping my Post would maybe want you to grade the team. I know you usually do it after the first 27 but I always do it in 20 game increments.

[KobeMVP888]

I was hoping my Post would maybe want you to grade the team. I know you usually do it after the first 27 but I always do it in 20 game increments.

You took the lead, so I enthusiastically followed! This is such a fun season that I like the idea of grading at the end of quarters instead of trimesters. This is such a TEAM, that in my view, grading the various units/component parts SHOULD take precedent over individual player grades. Thanks for posting this topic!

[3Peatkb24]

I was hoping my Post would maybe want you to grade the team. I know you usually do it after the first 27 but I always do it in 20 game increments.

You took the lead, so I enthusiastically followed! This is such a fun season that I like the idea of grading at the end of quarters instead of trimesters. This is such a TEAM, that in my view, grading the various units/component parts SHOULD take precedent over individual player grades. Thanks for posting this topic!

Yeah this has been a fun season so far! We are tied for the 8th Seed with Portland as of now. I just really hope Russ is ok and after he comes back he can stay healthy. This Lakers team is a bit different from years past regarding rebuilding as in we have done it through the Draft = Clarkson, Randle, Russ, Nance, and Ingram. Lou Williams is the one key FA signing this team has made but he has never been considered a SuperStar. Hiring Luke should get best move of the year by any team. This guy can flat out Coach. I remember years ago over at Hollingers you said Luke would make a Great Coach one day, you nailed that one my friend.

[3Peatkb24]

I was pretty enthusiastic through 20 games about this team possibly being around .500 this season and maybe being a threat to make the Playoffs but these last 2 weeks have brought me back down to earth and my 30 win prediction before the season started looks more realistic unfortunately. Injuries have hurt us of late and we are a really bad Defensive team as well. I still think we are making progress and we deserved all the high grades I gave the team through 20 games but so far the so-called 2nd Qtr of the season hasn't produced a win yet. 6 straight losses so far, I hope we can end that streak tonight at Sacramento.