Not for the first time this season, LeBron James appeared to be a bit confused by decisions made by his head coach, Darvin Ham. In the second quarter of Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers, Ham subbed out LeBron (who had scored six straight points for the Lakers) but kept Anthony Davis in the game despite him having three fouls, which seemed to puzzle the 39-year-old.
Darvin ham subbed LeBron who finally got his momentum and left AD with 3 fouls on the court and LeBron was confused pic.twitter.com/GKi63gtsMJ
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) March 25, 2024
It is also possible here that James was confused about why Taurean Prince had been subbed in, as he too had three fouls. It wouldn’t have been ideal had either Prince or Davis picked up a fourth in the first half itself.
Ham finally subbed out Davis with just over a minute left in the quarter and fortunately for the Lakers, the 31-year-old did not pick up a fourth foul in that time that he was kept in. He would go on to finish the game with 36 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, to lead the Lakers to a 150-145 win.
As for LeBron, he came right back in when Davis was subbed out, as I assume Ham wanted one of the two to be on the court. James would end up having a fine night of his own, as he ended up with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He and Davis ensured the Lakers got their third win in a row and they are now 39-32 on the season.
The Lakers remain ninth in the standings in the Western Conference, however, and need to string together some more wins if they are to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament. Getting that fourth straight win won’t be easy, though, as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road next on Tuesday.
LeBron James Reportedly Ignores Darvin Ham’s Play-Calls
The relationship between James and Ham has been under the microscope all season. There appears to be a bit of friction there, and reportedly, James overrides Ham’s plays during timeouts and team huddles.
“He sits in the huddle and gets his rest/water, rolls his eyes as Ham speaks, and waits for the huddle to break,” one source told Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin. “If Ham ever does draw up a play, as soon as the huddle breaks, James will tell everyone else on the court with him ‘f— all that’ and calls a play of his own.”
Earlier this season, we had seen James look visibly frustrated by Ham’s final play-call in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. We have seen LeBron call his own plays in the past, but if we go by the reporting, he seems to be doing it with a great deal of regularity now, which is not ideal for Ham.
If your superstar shows this little belief in your decisions, you’re more often than not a dead man walking. Fortunately for Ham, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss continues to support him. As long as that is the case, he would be safe.
That support might go away, however, if this 2023-24 season ends badly. Ham reportedly could lose his job if the Lakers don’t make the first round of the playoffs. As things currently stand, the Lakers will have to win two Play-In Tournament games in a row to make it in.
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