Despite winning the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have underperformed in recent weeks and their coach is partially to blame.
The Lakers have lost nine of its last 12 games and they have struggled to score the ball efficiently during this recent stretch. LeBron James declined to speak to the media following the loss against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Following the loss, meanwhile, reports surfaced that the head coach may be on the hot in Los Angeles.
"I'm told there's a growing, deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and that Lakers locker room right now, and a lot of it is stemming from extreme rotational changes, lineup changes."@ShamsCharania on Head Coach Darvin Ham and the Lakers.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/wQUUWBNy6b
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 4, 2024
Here is more from Shams Charania and Jovan Buha (via The Athletic):
“There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room, six sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, raising questions about the head coach’s standing. The people spoke with The Athletic on condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely on the matter. Those sources have described that the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster.”
Notably, this report mentioned that “six sources with direct knowledge of the situation” spoke to The Athletic for this story. That means this isn’t frustration coming from one party but rather several.
Players including D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt have shuffled in and out of the starting lineup so far this season. That has made it challenging for anyone on the roster to find consistency on the court.
Perhaps the strongest lineup for Los Angeles last season included LeBron James and Anthony Davis alongside Rui Hachimura as well as Russell and Reaves. But this is a lineup that has barely logged any possessions together in 2023-24.
While we do not know what the next steps are for Ham and this team may be able to turn it around if Davis keeps playing exceptionally well, his future in Los Angeles is suddenly murky.
