5 questionable choices made by Darvin Ham that turned LA Lakers fans against sophomore coach
Darvin Ham's tenure with the LA Lakers has been up and down. He started with a 2-10 record in his debut season but recovered well to lead the team to a conference finals run. The Lakers faithful didn't direct the majority of the blame towards him for the abysmal start, as the team wasn't well constructed.
However, following the roster tweaks at the trade deadline, Ham efficiently implemented his rotations and adjustments. The Lakers front office was impressed with their turnaround and decided to keep the core intact for the 2023-24 season, Ham's second with the team.
LA was among the preseason favorites, too. It looked like the deepest team across both conferences. The Lakers started the season 6-6 amid injury troubles but improved to 15-10, thanks to their NBA In-Season Tournament exploits. They went 7-0 in the tournament. Six of those wins were counted as part of the regular season.
Just as it seemed that Darvin Ham had his rotations figured, the Lakers are in the middle of another slump. LA is on a 1-4 run after the NBA Cup win, losing their last four in a row. The Lakers fans can't help but call out Ham for his role in this slump.
Darvin Ham's five most questionable choices that turned LA Lakers fans against him
The Lakers fans on Twitter have often pointed out a few of Darvin Ham's most questionable decisions, especially amid their current skid. That includes the rotations, defensive schemes, overuse of a misfiring player and many other issues that have directly hampered the Lakers. Here's a look at five such glaring problems with Ham's coaching:
#1. Austin Reaves' limited minutes for D'Angelo Russell
One of the most prominent mistakes LA Lakers fans think Darvin Ham has made is using D'Angelo Russell over Austin Reaves. Russell also got to keep his starting spot over Reaves when Ham tweaked the lineup to provide the Lakers with defensive stability.
While both players average 29-30 minutes on the season, Lakers fans believe Reaves deserves more time on the floor. That's supported by Reaves being the better shooter and scorer, especially over the last few games.
Since the In-Season tournament, Reaves has averaged 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 51/44/94 splits in six games. Meanwhile, Russell has struggled, putting up a measly 9.4 points and 6.2 assists on 35/25/50 splits.
Both players have played 30 minutes a game in this stretch. In the LA Lakers' streak-extending fourth loss against the Timberwolves on Dec. 21, Reaves played 29, while Russell got 38 minutes. The former tallied 20 points on 50.0% shooting, while Russell had 17 points on 36.8% shooting.
#2. Lack of touches for Anthony Davis
Another glaring issue for the LA Lakers is their 24th-ranked offense. That could've been slightly better than where it is if the Lakers played more through Anthony Davis. Darvin Ham couldn't do much to change that last season and the trend has continued again.
The Lakers tend to start well, finding "AD" in the post, but fail to continue that throughout the game. As the game progresses, Davis is merely carrying out the role of a screener for actions involving ball-handlers and perimeter shooters alone. That issue flares up more, especially without LeBron James, who gets the most out of Davis in a pick-and-roll.
The LA Lakers chuck shots down the stretch far too often rather than setting up Davis in the post. As much as it's on the players, Ham needs to do a better job setting up schemes that free up Davis, especially in late-game situations.
#3. Not playing 2023 playoffs starters together
The LA Lakers found tremendous success with the starting lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, LeBron James and Anthony Davis last season. However, Darvin Ham hasn't turned to this lineup even once. Reaves was asked to come off the bench early in the season while Vanderbilt was injured.
Taurean Prince took his spot. Prince is a better floor spacer and ball-handler, but he's been streaky. The former Timberwolves forward's numbers have improved of late, but he's not as active defensively as Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile, Cam Reddish's offensive production and defense have both dropped off. He's shooting 31.8% from deep and 29.4% over the last five games. Vanderbilt is still ramping up, but if Ham could stagger his 14-15 minutes a game alongside Russell, Reaves, LeBron and Davis, the LA Lakers could rediscover some of their form.
#4. Rui Hachimura's inconsistent minutes
Another player that's seemingly not being used adequately by LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham is Rui Hachimura. The Japanese forward was one of the bright spots from last season's playoff run, who re-signed a three-year $51 million contract this summer.
Hachimura was expected to become the undisputed sixth man of the Lakers. However, he's struggling for minutes on nights when the Lakers have been healthy. Hachimura is playing 23.8 minutes per contest, losing his minutes to Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish.
The 6-foot-9 forward also ends up in many possessions where he's asked to create and produce shots on the fly, making it difficult to cement his place. Hachimura is a solid offensive weapon who can score on all three levels if enough schemes and plays are run for him.
He has the size and frame to keep up defensively. Prince and Reddish's minutes could be split and offered to Hachimura, but Ham hasn't done that yet.
#5. Being hellbent on running the same schemes and rotations
Another blemish on LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham's coaching is his refusal to make adjustments frequently. Ham has often stuck with schemes that may have worked for a few games and brief stretches. It could be the small lineups or the three-big lineups. A combination of both could have worked against different opponents, but Ham hasn't made the best out of the roster available.
Ham also has been reluctant to deploy another big next to Anthony Davis for brief stretches. It could be a significantly improved adjustment, allowing Davis to roam around on defense. As a weakside/help defender, "AD" can protect the rim better and resolve the team's rebounding woes.
Ham's defensive schemes also don't change frequently. The LA Lakers are nearly in a drop coverage every game, even against teams that shoot well. Being a subpar shooting team, the Lakers can't rely on that. It works for them sometimes, but it's often led to most of their losses.