Darvin Ham blames LeBron James' age and Anthony Davis' 'injury history' to defend infamous Lakers lineup choices
Fresh from securing his second NBA Cup title, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham reflected on his stint with the LA Lakers and addressed the frequent criticism surrounding his rotation decisions during his time with the team.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, the 51-year-old tactician addressed reports and questions about his lineups and rotations while coaching in LA, citing factors such as LeBron James’ age and Anthony Davis’ injury history.
“It’s being reported like I’m just throwing some lineups up against the wall to see what sticks. No man, we were really navigating a lot from guys being hurt to having the oldest player in the league (James) to navigating A.D.’s injury history. It was a lot,” Ham said.
“Some of the s**t hthat was coming out? Wow, bro I don’t know X’s and O’s? I was winging it. Dude, that was the most disappointing stuff, how mean and so much stuff people are saying online. The best thing I could do was block out the outside noise,” the coach continued.
In the 2022-23 season, the Lakers used 39 different starting lineups, per Basketball Reference. Davis appeared in just 56 games that year. Meanwhile, James, then 38, carried the team with averages of 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 35.5 minutes per game.
During Ham’s second season, Ham fielded 19 different starting lineups. Davis played in 76 games, while James appeared in 71.
In May 2024, the Lakers fired Ham. Over two seasons, he posted a 90-74 record, with a 9-12 mark in the playoffs and a Western Conference finals appearance in 2023.
Darvin Ham is a back-to-back NBA Cup champion
Darvin Ham is a back-to-back NBA Cup champion. As the Lakers’ head tactician, he won the inaugural tournament in 2023. This year, he added a second in-season tournament title as the top assistant under Doc Rivers with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks added Ham as an assistant under Rivers two months after he was sacked by the Lakers. Ham expressed well wishes for his former players and emphasized there is no animosity.
“There is no ill will for me. Their situation is what it is,” Ham said.
Ham and the Bucks will host the Lakers on March 13, 2025, before visiting LA five days later.