SUMMARY
- Multiple reports claim that the Lakers are considering to let go of Darvin Ham.
- Despite the Lakers' poor playoff run, Ham has had enough successful over the last two years to help him return next season.
It wouldn’t have been very pleasant to walk out getting swept for the second time, but the Los Angeles Lakers prevented it from happening. The Lakers’ exit was upsetting needless to say and it only adds more pressure on the group to perform next season. Going 11-0 against a single team isn’t something out of the ordinary, and it was certainly a special run for the Denver Nuggets. Especially with Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beaters in Games 2 and 5.
Recently, multiple reports on social media claimed that the Lakers are seriously considering swapping Darvin Ham for another coach. Ham made a potful of mistakes during the regular season, which included failing to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of his roster. Careless in-game decisions have also further added to his case to be dismissed once and for all. But there were a few upsides in his tenure that the Lakers would want to consider before removing him from their coaching team.
Darvin Ham’s history indicates potential
Over the last two seasons that Darvin Ham has been around, he’s had more impact on the team than Frank Vogel had during his final two seasons. Ham made the Western Conference Finals last year despite facing the Play-In Tournament. Not to mention overcoming the Memphis Grizzlies, who were ranked No.2 in the Western Conference with the third-best defensive rating, and the 2023 DPOY on their side. And to add to that, they also defeated the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions at the time.
Talent-wise, the Lakers improved over the off-season with Rob Pelinka bringing in younger players to their depth. LA also retained Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura, three players who had a genuine impact in their run last season. The Lakers have found success against every other team besides the Denver Nuggets this season. And especially after winning Game 4, it is evident that they know what it takes to dethrone the defending champions.
This also proves that Ham is aware of what the team needs to bring to win against tougher opponents. Ham even led the team to the In-Season Tournament Championship game and won it. So why let go of a capable coach? Why not rewire the circuit around him?
The Lakers’ roster needs to bring in more effort
The biggest question among all is, how does a 39-year-old LeBron James remain consistent throughout the season while his teammates cannot? The Lakers vs Nuggets series was a major eye-opener. There were two games that stood out the most for the Lakers, Games 2 and 4. The Lakers lost one out of those two, but they were extremely close matchups.
Darvin Ham on being criticized for his rotations:
“If you’re coaching a team and one of your starters is like 10 games in a row, just sh*tting the bed, what are you going to do?”
[via @mcten] pic.twitter.com/5ltTfXXx4J
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 30, 2024
There is another pointer to look out for, D’Angelo Russell’s contributions in both games. He played 23 points in Game 2 and 21 points in Game 4 which they won. While in their other three losses, Russell scored just under 15 points and went scoreless in one as well. Russell was evidently the Lakers’ secret weapon, however, his inconsistency clearly shows that the Lakers needed him to perform better to survive.
The blame cannot fall on Russell’s scoring alone as he also needs to play better defense while he’s off the ball in a Lakers possession. Hachimura also needs to be more consistent with his numbers if he’s in the starting lineup. Perhaps the Lakers need to focus on bringing more consistency out of these players or move them for a high-level role player who has versatility.