The Los Angeles Lakers just slumped to yet another loss on their Eastern Conference road trip, as the Brooklyn Nets comprehensively beat the Lakers in a game where LA was playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While people questioned why LBJ and AD would be benched in such must-win situations, it seemed like Darvin Ham wanted to rest his stars before a back-to-back tomorrow night against the Knicks. This game could’ve been a showcase for Russell Westbrook and Darvin Ham’s coaching, but fans have turned on both people for allowing the team to fall 104-121 on the night.
Final pic.twitter.com/3qpPB4dBME
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2023
Gabriel didn’t get playing time in the 4th. I was wrong about Darvin Ham. He’s not a good coach.
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) January 31, 2023
https://twitter.com/JamesEdrick3/status/1620230065404653569
LeBron and AD on the bench for the Lakers-Nets game pic.twitter.com/9H7FMu7RMK
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) January 29, 2023
The KD/LeBron streak will now extend to the 2023-2024 season if Lakers/Nets is not the Finals matchup. https://t.co/Z43fZaBYvq
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 31, 2023
Patty Mills always smokes us & ofc goes off for 21 pts (only his 2nd 20 pt game & 7th game in double digis all year).
Cam Thomas cooked us.
Lakers once again played no defense, had no identity, and gave up 47% shooting & 16 3s to a KD-less Nets team. #SellTheTeam #MoreTrades
— Ciiircles (@Challllss) January 31, 2023
you closed a winnable game w/ fckn 3 guards all shooting sub 40% from the field w/ rui hachimura playing center. how is darvin ham not the worst coach in basketball rn ????
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) January 31, 2023
Darvin Ham refusing to play Russ and Rui together, a player Rui has chemistry with in DC, tells me all I need to know about Darvin Ham.
That 4 guard lineup got torched.
— JDJackson (@TheWestWolfPod) January 31, 2023
Darvin Ham is the perfect coach for a team that is trying to intentionally tank
— GoldenKnight (@GoldenKnightGFX) January 31, 2023
Darvin Ham does ZERO coaching/scheme when Russ comes in the game for his first shift
The half court offense devolves into Russ isos with 5+ dribbles every possession and no off-ball action
Just not conducive to good offense
— LAbound (@LAbound2) January 31, 2023
Darvin Ham might be worse than Luke Walton..
— LakersForDays (@LakersForDays) January 31, 2023
Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/73oaAFm9tC
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 31, 2023
The Lakers couldn’t compete with the offensive potency of the Kevin Durant-less Nets. Thankfully, the Lakers do have players like Lonnie Walker IV back from injury, so hopefully, the team can go on a run after LeBron and AD come back for their game against the Knicks.
Are Playoff Hopes Too Far-Fetched?
The Lakers could have been in a locked playoff position right now if not for poor officiating this season. They also could have been in that position if the front office built a roster worth contending, but it’s evident after today that the Lakers desperately need LeBron James on the floor as he is their lynchpin for everything.
Russell Westbrook didn’t look like he had the juice to lead the Lakers to a win on the night, and nobody else is really good enough to step up at that level. Coach Ham’s rotations were not good enough, and he needs to re-examine his coaching philosophy. There have been multiple instances of odd rotations and drawn-up plays sinking the Lakers, and Coach Ham can’t blame personnel for those decisions.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
