Following the Lakers’ first loss of 2024 and their ninth in the last 12 games, a new report from The Athletic revealed growing tension within the locker room between players and Head Coach Darvin Ham. Sources told insider Shams Charania and Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha:
“There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room…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.”
With the Lakers now below .500 with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis, could a significant change be in order?
Lakers Rumors: Darvin Ham’s Job Security in Jeopardy
Background
The questions with Darvin Ham have appeared all season long, from the aforementioned starting lineup switches to glaring inconsistencies in his rotations. Buha revealed that players were frustrated with their roles in an appearance on Jason Timpf’s podcast, “Hoops Tonight”:
“Even if you look at players’ comments postgame, you’ve seen several guys be like, ‘I don’t know my role,’ essentially. I think Rui [Hachimura] has been one of the most vocal in that sense…It’s really been this up and down thing with some of the guys.”
Buha added that some players were receiving mixed messages from Ham when it came to their minutes. Some players, such as D’Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves, would have “short leashes” and would be benched when they were struggling. But that wouldn’t be the case for other role players (e.g. Cam Reddish or Taurean Prince), who were given “longer leashes” amid their own struggles.
Additionally, the Lakers have veered away from the continuity they emphasized over the summer. The lineup of Russell, Reaves, James, Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt—which helped them advance through to the Western Conference Finals—has barely seen the floor this year. Russell, Reaves and Hachimura have come off the bench in a flawed attempt to fix what’s broken.
Following last night’s loss to Miami, reporters received conflicting comments between Ham and his players. Ham stressed that the team can’t get into a rhythm unless they’re fully healthy—a point he’s echoed since October. Davis and Reaves pointed out that injuries and differing lineups cannot be excuses for the team’s poor play. And if that wasn’t concerning enough, LeBron James left Wednesday night’s loss without speaking to the media—a rare occurrence.
This all goes to show that perhaps a change in personnel is needed—but not with the players.
Is Darvin Ham on the Hot Seat?
The strained relationships between Ham and his players are enough to seriously question the head coach’s job security. Judging by fans’ reactions after practically every Lakers loss, it seems the writing’s been on the wall this whole time.
How bad is Darvin Ham right now?
Anthony Davis has been arguably the best player in the world since 12/1
Just put up 30pts, 17reb, 5asst, 5blk
Played 44mins and the entire 2nd half
And the Lakers were blown out by the Heat……..without Jimmy Butler
— LAbound (@LAbound2) January 4, 2024
So much stuff we over complicated.
– the 5 out offense
– Propping TP and Cam to bonafide 30+ minute guys
– Benching Austin 9 games in
– Not ever using or playing the starters from last season
– Rui minutes & touches
– Starting no guardsJust don’t get it
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) January 4, 2024
Lakers fans have grown frustrated with Ham’s decisions (or lack thereof), whether it’s using a myriad of starting lineups that don’t produce consistent results, or his actions not lining up with his words. He hasn’t done enough to maximize the talent at his disposal. This is especially true for the new guys, who bought into the winning culture immediately after joining the team.
It’s clear that last season’s turnaround set the bar extremely high for the Lakers. They’ve been unable to reach that mark due to several factors—coaching being one of them. Ham has refused to make the adjustments necessary to get back to that level. It’s apparent in both in blowout losses to contenders and puzzling play against low-tier teams. This report from The Athletic seemingly confirms months-long speculation that all is not well in La La Land.
Darvin Ham has grown inches closer to the hot seat with his mistakes and the Lakers’ losses. Last night’s result, coupled with the troubling reports afterwards, may have finally put him on it.
The Last Word on Darvin Ham
As Charania and Buha noted, the Lakers don’t have much time for another turnaround with a 39-year-old LeBron and a dominant Anthony Davis. All of the recent trade speculation may have to take a backseat with the issues at hand. Coaches are some of the catalysts behind a winning product. If the Lakers don’t get one from Ham in short order, then it could be time to move on to someone who can, in Ham’s own words, “right the ship.”
