LOS ANGELES — The criticism about Darvin Ham’s rotations and adjustments has swirled around social media. According to The Athletic, parts of the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room have harbored similar frustrations about Ham’s coaching.
As for the Lakers’ front office? Their sentiment appears to be much different.
“I’m solid. My governor, Jeanie Buss, the boss lady; our president Robert Pelinka – we’re all aligned,” Ham said. “As long as they’re not saying it, I guess I’m good, which I know how they feel about me and the situation we’re currently in. So, we’re all on the same page.”
Nonetheless, the Lakers still labored through a 127-113 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Crypto.com Arena, which should only heighten the scrutiny.
Not only have the Lakers (17-19) endured a four-game losing streak against a Grizzlies team (12-24) that has vastly improved since Ja Morant’s return. The Lakers have lost nine of their previous 12 following the team won the league’s inaugural NBA Cup. The Lakers have also fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference.
“We just suck right now,” Lakers star LeBron James said.
Related: Roster issues, not Coach Darvin Ham, is what most ails the Los Angeles Lakers
Darvin Ham not giving up any time soon
Nonetheless, Ham’s job doesn’t appear to be in any imminent danger.
The Lakers entered Friday’s contest with players missing a combined 102 games due to injuries, with Rui Hachimura (left calf), D’Angelo Russell tailbone contusion) and Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) currently sidelined. Though the Lakers are currently out of the Play-in tournament picture, they have 46 regular-season games left to fight for either playoff or Play-In tournament seeding. And while the Lakers have prioritized roster depth and continuity around James and Anthony Davis, they surely will be active leading into the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
“I’m in this thing for the fight. I’m not going to hang my head or anything,” Ham said. “I’m disappointed we lost. I’m disappointed we have lost multiple games now in a row. But it’s just going to make that fire bigger in my chest to try to figure this thing out.”
Buss offered Ham support following the team’s 2-10 start in 2022-23 in his first season as head coach. Before the trade deadline, the Lakers then dealt Russell Westbrook and improved their roster by acquiring a versatile forward (Hachimura), a dynamic playmaker (Russell) and a proven defender (Jarred Vanderbilt). With that group paired with the Lakers’ two stars (James, Davis) and a further developing young player (Austin Reaves), the Lakers then advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers then prioritized continuity last offseason amid the failed Westbrook experiment and last year’s post-season run. Despite going undefeated in the NBA’s In-Season tournament, however, the Lakers have otherwise struggled with overlapping injuries and 10 different starting lineups. They rank 24 out of 30 NBA teams in 3-point shooting (35.1%), including going 10-for-28 against the Grizzlies.
While staying in the middle of the pack on total points allowed (16th; 114.6 points per game), they have also proven inconsistent on that front. Despite entering Friday’s game ranked 28th in 3-point shooting (38.8%), the Grizzlies went 23-for-45 from deep. Marcus Smart scored 29 points while shooting 8-for-14 from 3 after shooting a combined 5-for-22 overall in the previous three contests. Jaren Jackson Jr. (31 points), Desmond Bane (24,) and Ja Morant (21) also cracked double figures.
While James (32 points) and Davis (31) combined for 24-for-46 shooting, the rest of the Lakers shot 18-for-39 overall. James and Davis also each committed four turnovers.
“We have to stay together in this locker room – the guys in the locker room and the guys on the coaching staff,” Davis said. “We all stay together and find our way out of it. There’s no help coming. There is no cavalry. We have to do it with the guys we got and remain together. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
The Athletic reported otherwise, citing six anonymous sources that said, “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.”
Ham has featured Reaves and Russell in bench roles amid varying shooting struggles despite both playing integral roles in the team’s playoff success last season. Even when healthy, Hachimura’s minutes have fluctuated. Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince have started despite shooting inconsistently.
“Guys need to know when they step on the floor that they need to give the maximum amount of whatever they can give, regardless of being a starter or coming in off the bench,” Ham said. “All hands have to be on deck, With all that said, I still have two guys with tons of NBA miles on their bodies that are our captains that we also have to protect from injury. It’s a lot you have to juggle. But I just thank God the opportunity to do this job and with this organization. We’ll definitely have to be able to figure it out. The message has to be, whenever your number is called, be prepared to compete at the highest level.”
The Lakers will eventually reveal just how patient they are with Ham. With the Lakers either above or below .500 for the first quarter of a 2021-22 season amid various injuries and adjustments with a new roster, Buss said she couldn’t make a judgement on former coach Frank Vogel “until we’re 100% healthy.” The Lakers then fired Vogel right after the season ended with a missed playoff appearance less than two years after helping them win the 2020 NBA championship. With the NBA becoming a results-oriented league, perhaps the Lakers operate the same way. Nonetheless, the Lakers would prefer to avoid the quick turnover with its coaches ever since Phil Jackson’s retirement in 2011. Mike Brown (2011-12), Mike D’Antoni (2012-14), Byron Scott (2014-16), Luke Walton (2016-2019), Vogel (2019-2022) have lasted between one to three seasons.
“They’re ready to be done with this slide,” Ham said. “Obviously, no one wants to lose. It’s disappointing to lose. But we can’t get the mistake of getting discouraged. Everyone is going to nitpick at me, the staff, the players, the organization. We got to block out all of this noise.”
The noise will likely get louder, considering the Lakers have fallen below .500 this week for the first time since Nov. 10. After playing 14 of 19 games on the road, the Lakers play eight of their 11 games this month at home and one of their away games will be against the LA Clippers. Those games will feature nine teams currently slated to make the playoffs or Play-In tournament.
“This is a marathon,” Ham said. “You have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
