The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t able to make a move for a star before the trade deadline, but they did manage to make some additions that improved their roster a fair bit. The new-look Lakers won their first game together against the Golden State Warriors but then fell flat on their face in a defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers blew them away with a barrage from beyond the arc, finishing a ridiculous 23-47 from 3. The Lakers couldn’t keep up and were down by as many as 27 points, before losing 127-115. Head coach Darvin Ham said after the game that the analytical data at halftime suggested their defensive shot quality would have been No. 1 in the league and was promptly blasted for it.
The Blazers were 17-29 from beyond the arc at the half, with Damian Lillard going 8-12, so to say they were great defensively was never going to sit well with anyone. Ham then angered Lakers fans by saying that he plans to have both D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.
Darvin Ham says he will continue to start both his point guards, Dennis Schroder and D'Angelo Russell, together in the backcourt for the foreseeable future. "Their games really complement each other," Ham said. "They’re not the same exact player. They’re different types of of…
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 14, 2023
Darvin Ham says he will continue to start both his point guards, Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell, together in the backcourt for the foreseeable future. “Their games really complement each other,” Ham said. “They’re not the same exact player. They’re different types of of players.”
They are not the exact same type of player, but you would much rather have just one of them starting. The reason for it is that the Lakers don’t have a point guard coming off the bench in this situation and ideally, you would like to stagger their minutes so there is always a playmaker on the court. This decision also means they have way too many two-guards like Austin Reaves, Malik Beasley, Lonnie Walker IV, and Max Christie on the bench. Ham clearly sees something he likes in this approach though and ultimately, the results will show whether he was right or not.
The Lakers Are Frustrated With Darvin Ham’s Handling Of LeBron James
The loss to the Blazers dropped the Lakers to 26-32 and while losses are never ideal, what has really frustrated the Lakers is the way Ham has handled LeBron James. LeBron had been dealing with a foot injury for a couple of weeks but despite that, was still playing heavy minutes.
He played nearly 40 minutes in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans recently and some within the organization are worried that Ham is running James into the ground. Those extended minutes he had been playing could have been why that foot injury flared up against the Thunder and has led to him missing the last 3 games.
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