When Rob Pelinka made a series of trades back in February, it transformed the Lakers roster in more ways than any of us realized at the time. While the Lakers ultimately failed to land a true star at the deadline, the additions of guys like D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura added enough depth to make this Lakers team adaptable to almost any postseason matchup.
With the Lakers now in the Western Conference Finals, we’re seeing that advantage be fully utilized by head coach Darvin Ham. He guarded Jokic with exceptional effectiveness and now Ham is reportedly on the fence of outright starting him for Game 2 and going fully big.
“Sources tell me Darvin Ham is considering starting Rui Hachimura for Game 2,” reported Chris Haynes. “It’s a decision he’s keeping very close to the vest.”
Sources: Lakers are considering a lineup change for Game 2 versus Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/I8OhxN0Jcc
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 18, 2023
Darvin Ham was getting a lot of heat from Lakers fans entering the playoffs for his questionable lineups and relatively nonexistent experience compared to other top coaches in the field. But he deserves credit for making adjustments throughout the playoffs and he’s got every one of his guys bought into what he’s doing.
With Rui in the starting lineup, it’s a sign that the Lakers plan to go bigger in this series, which is how the Lakers were playing when they mounted that huge second-half comeback on Tuesday.
Lakers Are Confident About Playoff Chances Despite Loss In Game 1
The Lakers showed some signs of life after a rough two quarters in Game 1. After making some adjustments in the second half, they were able to slow down the Nuggets and finally get a rhythm going offensively. As Darvin explained after the game, the Lakers played with more urgency and aggression in the last 24 minutes.
“We woke up and I think we started digging in and playing with a little bit more urgency,” said Ham. “There’s no doubt in my mind that when we come out for Game 2, we’ll be ready. We’ll go back and do what we need to do to get the team right physically, start the recovery process now, break down the film, and watch what we need to watch. Thank God it’s a best-of-seven and not the NCAA tournament. It’s first to four. We’ll be okay. Trust me.”
So, the Lakers aren’t sweating letting one go early on and they’ve done pretty well about not getting shaken so far. But this Nuggets team is a cut above their previous competitors and the margin for error is going to be ridiculously slim the rest of the way.
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.
