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Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Darvin Ham's future with the Lakers thrown into doubt

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 1/4/24

Darvin Ham's tenure as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers could be nearing an end. According to a report by Shams Charania, there is a "growing disconnect" between Ham and the Lakers locker room.

"There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room, six sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, raising questions about the head coach’s standing," Charania reported. "...Those sources have described that the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster."

Throughout the season, Ham has made some big calls when it comes to his rotations. He benched Austin Reaves, citing him as a potential "Manu Ginobili" type of talent. Then, in a more recent change, he moved D'Angelo Russell to the second unit in search of adding more defense to the starting lineup.

The Lakers have been unable to find a rhythm. Ham has used 10 different starting lineup combinations over the 35 games his team has played. As such, there has been little time for the team to get acclimated and create some on-court chemistry.

This is Ham's second season as the Lakers head coach. He has led the Lakers in 117 regular-season games , winning 60 of them. For a team that boasts LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a 51.3% win ratio isn't going to cut it. The Lakers are a franchise that expects to be a championship contender.

There's currently a growing disconnect between Darvin Ham and Lakers locker room stemming from disjointedness around rotation and adjustments, per me and @jovanbuha.

Story at @TheAthletic on Lakers, losers of 3 in row, nine of 12 and now under .500: https://t.co/shM7alh3xy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 4, 2024

The Purple and Gold currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, occupying the final play-in tournament spot. The same team made it to the conference finals during the 2023 playoffs. Therefore, it's tough to blame a lack of talent or an aging squad. Yes, the Lakers have dealt with their fair share of injury issues, especially with their role players. However, James and Davis have both been healthy for the majority of the season, and that is some serious star talent.

Ham's consistent back-and-forth with the rotations, his willingness to bench big-time contributors without much warning, and a lack of progress under his leadership are all factors working against him. It sounds as though he's close to losing the locker room.

If the Lakers don't turn things around by the All-Star break, Ham's first venture into being a head coach at the NBA level could come to a swift end. He needs to trust his players. He needs to trust his lineups. Most importantly, he needs to find a winning formula because right now, he's running out of excuses.

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