Insider Outlines ‘Disaster’ Results Of Darvin Ham Decision

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has to make a big decision every time his team gets ready for a game. That’s exactly what happened recently, and Ham swapped D’Angelo Russell for Jarred Vanderbilt. Was this a good move? Jovan Buha from The Athletic is not really a fan.

“Minuscule sample size but it’s been a disaster,” Buha noted.

Lakers' new starting lineup in 18 minutes:
– 105.0 offensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 125.0 defensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Wizards)
– -20.0 net rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 40.0 eFG%
– 46.8 TS%

Minuscule sample size but it's been a disaster.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 26, 2023

The Lakers struggled on the defensive side of the ball. Their loss to the Boston Celtics was mind-blowing and fans are disappointed. Ham could definitely add depth to his offense.

“LA is clearly leaning into perimeter defense, size and athleticism with this new group. This is a unit that can get stops and out in transition,” Buha posted on December 23, quoting Shams Charania’s post. “The concerns are clear, though: 3-point shooting, spacing, ballhandling and playmaking. OKC and others will pack the paint even more.”

Ham to make another change in the near future

Lakers players have to overcome their struggles right now and Ham has a perfect explanation of the situation.

“We came back a little lethargic, just coming off a long trip and then the whole Christmas circumstances of the holiday or whatever – early game,” Ham said after the game. “Took us a little bit of time to get going.”

The Lakers head coach also pointed to the fact that his players allowed Boston to go to the free throw line for 14 attempts in the third quarter.

“I think it hurt us big time,” Ham said. “It really puts your defense in Jeopardy, and it causes you to kind of play on your heels.”

NBA reporters asked too many questions about the struggles players have. Lakers offensive players need to elevate their performance, but Ham trusts his players. He knows that they are giving their best shot.

“We’ve been zipping and zagging across the country, man. Back and forth across the country. So, and then, again everyone has family in town for this, Christmas Day. And you’re disappointed. But you’re not discouraged. We dropped to, what, 16-15 I believe? We got 51 games left to play.

“You just know what work you have cut out for you. We’ll take a day off tomorrow, let the guys kind of recalibrate. And then Wednesday, we’ll focus on us: we’ll watch film, watch a lot of this and some stuff from some previous games, and see if we can get better.”