The Los Angeles Lakers have a 17-17 record and are clinging to the edge of the Western Conference postseason picture. They have lost eight of their last 11 games.
Granted, they have had a revolving door of injuries and a rough travel schedule over the last few weeks. But it has become clear that, at least right now, they’re not quite the championship-contending team they were billed as when the season started.
Many fans have placed the blame squarely on head coach Darvin Ham. Whether they believe the problem is his rotations or his coaching acumen (or lack thereof), Ham has become the scapegoat for L.A.’s recent woes.
ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins took Ham to task for playing LeBron James at point guard while calling on others to step up their games (h/t Lakers Daily).
“LeBron James playing the point guard, that’s not gonna be sustainable,” Perkins said. “D’Angelo (Russell) gotta find it within to pick up the pace. They play too slow. No easy baskets for Bron or A.D. (Anthony Davis). And that’s why they miss a guy like Dennis Schroder. We forget what he brought to the table on both ends of the floor. But those guys just gotta play, man. They gotta elevate their game.”
James has been playing outstanding basketball and putting up the type of shooting percentages that he has rarely posted in his 21-year career. Russell, on the other hand, struggled for most of December after a very solid November.
The Lakers, as Zach Lowe pointed out, are weak offensively, and a big reason is 3-point shooting. At the same time, their bread and butter offensively is their transition game, and a greater effort from Russell to attack early would help in that area.
Perkins also called out Ham in general
Many Lakers fans believe Ham has been a problem this season, and they have called for him to be fired.
While Perkins stopped short of that, he said Ham needs to “elevate his game.”
“I will not let Darvin Ham off the hook,” Perkins said. “He gotta elevate his game as well, with his rotations, with his set-calling, with everything across the board. The way he stagger Bron (LeBron James) and A.D. (Anthony Davis) minutes. All across the board, Darvin Ham got to elevate his game.”
Where Ham may get a slight pass for his rotations and lineups is the team’s revolving door of injuries this season. Those injuries have made it nearly impossible to maintain a consistent starting five and a constant set of rotations.
Still, the Lakers have had a number of inexcusable losses. With 11 of their next 12 games at Crypto.com Arena, it is clear the month of January will determine how the rest of their season plays out.
