SUMMARY
- Darvin Ham believes that being disciplined and consistent with help the Lakers defeat the Nuggets.
- The Lakers coach reveals that rebounding and transition defense are two areas that the team desperately need to work on
After the Los Angeles Lakers concluded their first preparation day for the upcoming postseason, Darvin Ham was interviewed and went into great detail regarding the team’s focus and goals for their first-round matchup. To the few who might not be aware, LeBron James and the Lakers will be taking on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Some fans might be aware that both teams have a recent rivalry and history. After all, the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and went on to win an NBA championship last year. Since this is likely to be the greatest threat to the Lakers in their potentially deep postseason run, one must certainly wonder how Darvin Ham feels about his team.
Darvin Ham emphasizes the importance of discipline for the Los Angeles Lakers
Although the core of the Lakers remains the same, the team has made several minor changes such as bringing on Gabe Vincent, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, and others to ensure that the team fares better against the defending NBA champions. Ham revealed that all the players on the Lakers’ roster will be put through intense coaching and testing in order to ensure that they will be prepared to face the Denver Nuggets.
“Great first day of preparation. Got a chance to get into the theatre, have some really good dialogue, put the game plan together, get out here on the court, touch some different scenarios but just being consistently disciplined….Energy is great…”
As the Lakers’ head coach has clearly pointed out, the team has already begun reviewing footage as well as creating and understanding a solid plan of attack. They will undoubtedly need to do so if they wish to defeat the defending NBA champions. Darvin also went on to reveal the areas of their game that the Lakers should prioritize in order to get past the Nuggets.
What key areas do the Lakers need to prioritize in order to defeat the Denver Nuggets?
Since the Lakers have now lost 8 straight games to the Nuggets, one could argue that Ham’s positive feelings come from a sense of bias. After all, it would certainly be demoralizing for a team if their own coach does not show faith in them.
Darvin Ham also mentioned that transition defense and rebounding are two areas that the Lakers will need to drastically improve in if they wish to defeat the Nuggets. After all, stopping Jamal Murray in transition or outrebounding the likes of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon could prove to be a difficult task.