The Los Angeles Lakers have a very exciting season ahead as they navigate through a whole host of challenges in hopes of returning to the NBA playoffs and contending for a championship. While the biggest challenge is figuring out how Russell Westbrook fits into their team’s equation, everyone should be cautious of new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.
Ham is coming from the Milwaukee Bucks, where he was crucial in setting up the vaunted defense that won them the 2021 NBA Championship. There are extremely high hopes for Ham in LA, as he sets a culture that all players are expected to abide by.
One of the players taking orders from Ham this season will be LeBron James, someone he’s played on the court before. While speaking to ClutchPoints in an exclusive, Ham spoke about the privilege of coaching a once-in-a-lifetime player like LeBron at the 2022 Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala in Los Angeles.
"You only get so many players [like him]… He's a once in a lifetime type player that's gonna be mentioned with the greats and mentioned as *the* greatest."@TomerAzarly caught up with new Lakers coach Darvin Ham on LeBron James' extension 💰 pic.twitter.com/HnN1XOajwr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2022
“It’s huge, man. It’s huge. LeBron is once-in-a-lifetime player. You only get so many players. Not even so many. You have Bill Russell, you have Wilt Chamberlain, you have Dr. J, you have Moses Malone, you had Larry Bird, Magic, you had Jordan, you had Allen Iverson, Shaq, Kobe, and now it’s LeBron’s time.”
“It’s once-in-a-lifetime type player that’s gonna be mentioned with the greats and mentioned as the greatest. The things that he was facing coming out of high school and things he had to endure and conquer. He’s passed all tests with flying colors.”
If the Lakers can find the right blend of talent around LeBron James, they would already be in a better position than they are right now. However, their insistence on experimenting with lineups has been creating awkward on-court fits, like the one between LeBron and Westbrook.
Coach Ham can attract the best out of LeBron, and it seems most of the lineup has bought into the new philosophy brought by him. LeBron and Anthony Davis will be the tone-setters, so it’ll be crucial for them to give the coach the support he needs. Considering Ham is the third coach in LA since 2018, the franchise will hope he lasts long and can build a relationship with LeBron, who recently signed a contract extension.
