The Los Angeles Lakers took a disappointing 115-103 loss to the rebuilding Detroit Pistons on Monday night. The loss dropped the Lakers to 4-3 on the young season. Los Angeles had a couple of players rise to the occasion from an individual standpoint, but there were not many positives that could be extracted from the contest overall. Let’s take a look at the good and bad that came from the uneventful defeat.
Good news: Lakers’ Anthony Davis continued on MVP-caliber tear
The good news was few and far between for L.A. in their most recent contest against Detroit. Nevertheless, Lakers superstar Anthony Davis played like a league MVP yet again. Davis put up a game-high 37 points on 13-23 shooting from the field along with nine rebounds and four assists.
Through the rain and the storm, the Kentucky product has been the most consistent thing going for the Lakers across their first seven games. His performance on Monday marked his fifth 30-plus point effort in 2024-25. The league’s leading scorer (32.6 PPG) will be positioned to lead the Lakers toward a championship run should his supporting cast rise to the occasion around him. He was largely the good news on the night for L.A.
Bad news: Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell continues to struggle
Meanwhile, the Lakers have not gotten All-Star quality play from their former All-Star D’Angelo Russell for the bulk of the season, and that did not change against the Pistons. Russell got his 11 points on an inefficient 4-14 shooting from the field. His eight assists and 40 percent clip from distance did lighten the blow of his poor play. That being said, the Ohio State product is perhaps the biggest concern for the Lakers at the moment.
Russell may benefit from being moved to the second unit in the interim. The Lakers have a crowded starting lineup with three supporting stars around Davis and LeBron James that can average 17-20 PPG on the year, including Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. That leaves at least one man as the odd man out.
Judging from the 28-year-old’s paced play style, he could have free reign with the second unit to shoot as much as he wants, dominate the ball freely, and make plays. The Lakers have the worst-scoring bench in basketball at 18.9 PPG.
Thus, before the Lakers potentially explore trading Russell, such an experiment could yield great results and allow current sixth man Gabe Vincent — who posted a dud (0 points) against the Pistons — to get going with the first five. Russell’s play against Detroit calls for it.
Bad news: The Lakers’ bench needs serious work
The Lakers have labored all year long without Christian Wood coming off of their bench. That did not change in the slightest last time out. The Lakers bench combined for a grand total of 10 points on the affair. That came from just two players in Jaxson Hayes and Dalton Knecht, who had five points apiece.
Vincent took no shots in 18 minutes of action. The same was the case for Cam Reddish in 14 minutes. Both of those weapons could average double-figures in a down season.
Further, four of the five bench players who saw court time posted negative plus/minuses. Therefore, until Wood comes back, Los Angeles will need more than one second-unit contributor to step up. Currently, Hayes has been their only steady performer. That needs to change, or, they’ll be susceptible to more avoidable losses like this one.
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Bad news: Rui Hachimura has returned back to earth
Rui Hachimura was a letdown on Monday night. After kicking off the current campaign averaging 17.5 PPG on a blistering 61.5 percent shooting from three-point range through his first four games, he has scored in single digits in each of his last three outings, including his eight points on 2-6 shooting from the floor against the Pistons. The Lakers will hope that the Gonzaga product reverts back to his earlier play and puts this funk behind him in short order.
The Lakers will get a day of rest before concluding their five-game road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at 5 PM PT.
