Marks for Max Christie and Dalton Knecht in the Lakers' loss to the Wolves

The long, long wait ended Friday when the Lakers took on the Wolves in their preseason opener in Palm Springs. It was certainly far from the best the Lakers could bring to the court with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined.

Still, plenty of minutes were left for many other Lakers, which led to some outstanding performances, even in a game the team lost and trailed for virtually the entire game. With only Jaxson Hayes among the available rotation centers, there were a lot of very small lineups on the field.

Since there are so many notes to give, let's dive right into the loss. As always, grades are based on each player's expectations. The grade “A” represents that player’s average performance.

Plus, it’s the preseason. Let's not take this too seriously.

Rui Hachimura

22 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, -12

It's really hard to evaluate Rui because he spent several portions of this game playing center around four guards. It's one thing to step into LeBron's role when he sits, it's another to step into AD's.

There were some positive moments. He missed some open jumpers that you want back. He was finished at the edge.

But basically I'm just giving him a full pass for this game and will rate him a bit more on Sunday.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

21 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3-4 FG, 3-3 FT, -8

Hayes hasn't really shown anything different than last season, but that's not a bad thing. He was energetic, active and flew around the place. I'm interested in seeing him with more rotation players, but I assumed he performed well after this game.

Grade: B+

D'Angelo Russell

21 minutes, 14 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, -8

Similar to Rui and the yet-to-be-mentioned Austin Reaves, I'll wait to evaluate those in the starting lineup until they're surrounded by LeBron and AD.

D'Lo looked good overall. I liked that he got to the edge a little bit. His knocked-in 3-pointer also made me audibly laugh. But we know he can do it. Let's see what the stars look like in this new system.

Grade: B

Austin Reaves

25 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2-9 FG, 2-5 3PT, 10-10 FT, +0

Going 10-10 at the line on a night when you couldn't get a shot inside the arc is a real grifter's play, and I applaud Reaves for it.

Reaves seemed to be stuck between two thoughts as he drove this evening. When he went for a floater, he seemed unable to decide whether to shoot it away from the glass or straight into it, and the result was multiple shots from the back of the rim.

What I'll really be keeping an eye on this pre-season is his defense. There was a noticeable regression at the start of last year, but as he's feeling healthier I'd like to see if he can get back into shape in that regard this year.

Grade: B

Max Christie

34 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5-9 FG, 1-5 3PT, +0

Will the Lakers struggle in non-Max Christie minutes this season?

If I were to give an MVP for the first game, I would probably give it to Christie. In short, he looked like the guy head coach JJ Redick and LeBron praised over the summer and in training camp.

I didn't expect him to show off his passing skills, but I did expect him to rebound and defend. Everything points to this being a big year for Max Christie.

Grade: A

Dalton Knecht

25 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-13 FG, 2-7 3PT, -13

When I called Christie my MVP of this game, I'm sure some of you immediately shouted, “What about Dalton Knecht?” And guess what? That is also an absolutely fair selection!

If everyone is healthy, Knect is probably still on the outside looking in in the rotation. But the fact that he came into the game and Redick immediately started running plays for him is telling.

What he did in Summer League will carry over to the NBA, and based on one preseason game, it's a matter of when, not if, he enters the rotation.

Grade: A

Gabe Vincent

15 minutes, 11 points, 1 steal, 4-6 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +1

Do you want a statistic that is sad but true? Gabe Vincent's two 3-pointers tonight mean he's just one goal away from matching his 2023-24 point total this preseason.

I would imagine this is close to what the Lakers expected from him last season in terms of impact. He came in, provided a decisive blow and strong defense. Ideally, he will also be able to do this in the actual games.

Grade: A-

Jalen Hood-Schifino

27 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3-9 FG, 0-1 3PT, -7

Without question, this is the best thing JHS has looked for in his short career for the Lakers parent. Although his shot didn't fall, it was very effective on both sides. He had a number of nice finds and also made some good plays defensively.

His path to the rotation is a little steeper, but like Christie, he's trending in the right direction this summer.

Grade: B+

Bronny James

16 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, -12

Bronny probably came into the game earlier on Friday than most expected, but it was a welcome barometer test for him early on.

Defensively the full potential is there. He can now have an impact in this regard, and he did so at times on Friday. Offensively, however, he is far away.

I imagine a lot of his work in the G League this year will be finding ways to be productive offensively.

Grade: C

Colin Castleton

12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2-4 FT, -1

I think the fact that Castleton didn't get any minutes in the first half and didn't play until the game was over is pretty telling about his status on the team. He's a good G League player and can have a career as a two-way guy, bouncing back and forth between the G League and the back end of the NBA benches, but he doesn't really show flashes of anything else at this point.

Grade: C-

Maxwell Lewis

10 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, -20

Do you know how hard it is to finish with a plus-minus of -20 in 10 minutes, even in a preseason game where things are strange? This depends entirely on the context and is not Lewis' fault, but he is also nowhere near capable of producing anything.

It wouldn't be a surprise at this point if he was let go as part of a pay cut. He just doesn't seem anywhere near a productive NBA player.

Grade: D

Armel Traore, Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari

All three guys took the court late in the fourth quarter. Other than a pretty hard, flagrant foul from Kelley, there was nothing of note from them.

JJ Redick

I am absolutely not rating Redick for a preseason game, and especially not one without LeBron and AD. I'm just adding this part so you know I haven't forgotten it.

I reserve judgment and further observations until we have a larger sample.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.