The long, long wait came to an end on Friday when the Lakers took the court against the Wolves in their preseason opener in Palm Springs. It was certainly far from the best the Lakers could put on the floor with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis sitting out.

Still, plenty of minutes remained for a host of other Lakers, leading to some standout performances, even in a game the team lost and essentially trailed the entire game. With only Jaxson Hayes among the available rotation centers, there were a lot of very small lineups on the floor.

Now that there are a lot of numbers to give, let’s dive straight into the loss. As always, the numbers are based on each player’s expectations. The grade “A” represents that player’s average performance.

Moreover, it is the preseason. Let’s not take this one 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 very difficult to rate Rui because he played several parts of this game as a center around four guards. It’s one thing to step into the role of LeBron when he’s sitting, it’s another thing to step into the role of AD.

There were some positive moments. He missed a few open jerseys that you would like to have back. He finished on the edge.

But I’m actually just giving him a full pass on this game and will give him an additional rating on Sunday.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

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

Hayes didn’t really show anything different than last season, but that’s okay. He was energetic, active and flew around the field. I’m interested in seeing him with more rotation players, but I left this game thinking he had a good performance.

Grade: B+

D’Angelo Russell

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

Like Rui and the yet-to-be-named Austin Reaves, I’ll hold off judging those in the starting lineup until they’re surrounded by LeBron and AD.

D’Lo looked good overall. I liked that it got to the edge a little bit. His wedged three-pointer also made me audibly laugh. But we know he can. Let’s see how things look in this new system with the stars.

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 make a shot inside the arc is a real cheater’s game and I applaud Reaves for that.

Reaves seemed stuck between two thoughts during his drives tonight. When he would opt for a floater, he couldn’t seem to decide between shooting off the glass or straight in, and the result was multiple shots from the back of the rim.

What I’ll really be paying attention to this preseason is his defense. There was a noticeable step back early last year, but now that he’s feeling healthier, I want 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 hand out an MVP for game one, I think I’d give it to Christie. In short, he looked like the guy head coach JJ Redick and LeBron had praised over the summer and during training camp.

I didn’t expect him to show off his passing chops, but I did expect the rebounding and defense. All indications are that this will be 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 named Christie my MVP of this game, I’m sure some of you immediately shouted, “What about Dalton Knecht!” And you know what? That’s a completely fair selection too!

Knect will likely still be on the outside watching the rotation if everyone is healthy. But the fact that he entered the game and Redick immediately started playing for him feels significant.

What he did in Summer League will translate to the NBA and, based on one preseason game, it’s a matter of when, not if, he breaks into the rotation.

Grade: A

Gabe Vincent

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

Want a statistic that’s sad but true? Gabe Vincent’s two three-pointers tonight mean he is now one step away from matching his 2023-24 total this preseason.

I imagine this is about what the Lakers expected from him last season in terms of impact. He came in, provided a goal and tough defense. Ideally, that’s also what he can do in the real games.

Quality: A-

Jalen Hood-Schifino

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

Without a doubt, this is the best JHS has done for the Lakers parent in its short career. Even when his shot wasn’t falling, he had a big impact on both ends. He had some nice finds and also made some nice plays defensively.

His path to the rotation is a bit steeper, but like Christie, he is heading in the right direction this summer.

Grade: B+

Bronnie 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 than expected on Friday, but it was a welcome barometer test for him early on.

Defensively, all the potential is there. He can make an impact in that area right now, and he did that at times on Friday. However, he is far away offensively.

I imagine a lot of his work in the G League this year will be about 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 only played when the off time came says a lot about his position in the team. He’s a fine G League player and could have a career as a two-way type moving back and forth between the G League and the back of the NBA benches, but right now he’s not really showing anything else.

Grade: C-

Maxwell Lewis

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

Do you know how hard it is, even in a preseason game where things are weird, to finish with a plus-minus of -20 in 10 minutes? That’s completely contextual and not on Lewis, but he’s nowhere near producing either.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if he was fired in a salary dump transaction. He doesn’t appear to be anywhere near a productive NBA player.

Grade: D

Armel Traoré, Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari

Late in the fourth quarter, all three boys stepped onto the field. Outside of a pretty hard flagrant foul from Kelley, there was nothing of note from them.

JJ Redick

I definitely don’t judge Redick on a preseason game, especially not on a game without LeBron and AD. I’m adding this bit so you know I haven’t forgotten him.

I’ll reserve judgment and further observation on him until we have a larger sample size.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @Jacob Rude.