The Lakers ran their second straight game with LeBron James at the point on Monday but after they failed to pick up the win, fans began to question if this rotation is really the best strategy for success. Speaking after practice on Wednesday afternoon, Darvin Ham spoke about the new rotation himself and explained some of the pros and cons of the recent lineup change.
“I think the pros is the size, the athleticism, the ability to switch across the board,” said Ham. “I think the cons are just different actions, not having a traditional point guard can be challenging at times.”
LeBron, Anthony Davis, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Taurean Prince made up the five starters in OKC on Saturday, where they earned an impressive win over the third-best team in the West. The lineup allowed the Lakers to play big without giving up their perimeter shooting and it worked to great success before the Celtics game on Christmas. But now, at 16-15 on the season, there are concerns about this new lineup and what will happen in the locker room if Darvin keeps mixing up the rotation this late into the season.
Lakers Fans Are Not Sold On Team Adjustments
It remains to be seen how much longer Ham will roll with this new starting group, but fans are less than convinced that this is the formula for success. On X, they’ve been roasting Darvin for weeks now over the Lakers’ season and each loss gets him closer and closer to the hot seat.
But whether you love him or hate him, it’s easy to question Davin’s lineup changes, given the lack of shot-making and playmaking in the current starting lineup.
Pros – they’re big
Cons – they can’t shoot, dribble, facilitate, Bron and AD get tripled team, and they get out scored by 10 on average.
— Red Mamba (@Purpl3andGold) December 27, 2023
Perhaps the most puzzling piece of all of this is that Darvin refuses to use the starters that led the Lakers to the Conference Finals just a few months ago. If they can’t find success with that group, what hope do they have of hitting a stride on another rotation?
https://twitter.com/raycalungcagin/status/1740129158444052650
Earlier this season, Darvin moved Austin Reaves into the starting lineup and while it didn’t have great results at the time, fans are begging him to give it another try as the team is struggling.
Obvious move is to move Austin into the starting 5. He was moved out bc with him and DLo out there, there was some redundancy. Now with both coming off the bench, there is again redundancy…
— Jacob Agi (@jacobagi) December 27, 2023
Only time will tell how this season plays out for the Lakers, but Darvin Ham doesn’t have a long leash here. If he doesn’t find something that works soon, he could start to lose some of the players in the locker room and it could spell disaster for his tenure in Los Angeles.
Darvin Ham On The Hot Seat?
Thursday’s game against the Hornets will be a big test for the Lakers. Versus a team that’s 7-21 on the season, it will be an opportunity for the Lakers to get right and find their identity against a weaker opponent. But if they somehow lose the game, it could spark some serious conversations about Darvin Ham’s job security.
At this stage of his career, LeBron James doesn’t have any more time to waste and the Lakers cannot afford to wait around for a coach to figure out his schemes. It’s now or never for the Lake Show and if Darvin can’t get with the program, then he may not be around to call shots in the future.
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