In the middle of another mediocre season, many Lakers fans are wondering why Austin Reaves has seen limited minutes on the court this season. Lakers coach Darvin Ham has tried his best to come up with an explanation, but NBA insider Anthony Irwin says there’s actually something deeper going on.
“This possible thing between [Reaves] and Ham is… something. I’m here to tell you, I’ve heard it very clearly, that for whatever reason, Ham doesn’t mess with Austin the way that you would think he would. This might escalate all the way to where an agent gets involved or the front office gets involved and people start asking what is going into these decisions?”
The Lakers have had an up-and-down year so far marked by many highs and lows. But since winning the in-season tournament in early December, the Lakers have been a shell of themselves on both ends of the floor. Reaves was supposed to be the next guy up behind LeBron and Davis this season but his awkward place in the rotation has left a lot of doubt about this long-term role. And while he is currently the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year, there is a feeling he could do so much more.
Limited Minutes For Austin
With LeBron at 39 years old and Anthony Davis’ extensive injury history, the Lakers desperately needed someone to step up and provide a consistent spark for the group. After helping the Lakers on a run to the West finals last season, Austin Reaves was tapped to be that guy for them but he’s been solid so far with averages of 15.1 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. The problem is that he’s still coming off the bench for the Lakers, and he’s averaging just 29.2 minutes per game.
All season long, Ham has made it a point to keep Reaves under 30 minutes despite being one of their most reliable scorers. After a brief stint in the starting lineup, he was relegated to the bench in favor of D’Angelo Russell, and now Taurean Prince. If the Lakers are going to make a run this season, Reaves will have to play a bigger role on the team and Ham will have to start giving him more playing time on a consistent basis. Of course, some think Ham himself is the problem.
Ham On The Hot Seat?
After last season’s disastrous start with Russell Westbrook, Darvin Ham wore out his welcome in Los Angeles and now he’s being judged with the full weight of Lakers Nation. Through the first quarter of this season, fans have already been calling out Darvin for some of his decisions, like not playing Austin more and refusing to start the lineup that made the playoff run in the spring. He’s also relying heavily on LeBron James, who turns 39 years old today after 20+ seasons in the league.
At 17-15, things could turn ugly soon for Ham if the Lakers don’t start winning more consistently. Between this thing with Austin, the poor performance, and the questionable rotations, the calls for his job are getting louder by the day and the only path to silencing the critics is by winning in convincing fashion.
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