Will the Lakers fire Darvin Ham? LA ‘committed’ to head coach despite reports of locker room issues.

 

As the 2023–24 season approaches its halfway point, the Lakers, who won the inaugural In-Season Tournament title, have lost 11 of their previous 16 games and are currently 19–20. Head coach Darvin Ham’s seat seems to be getting somewhat warm as a result.

increasing distance between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room,” according to six people with knowledge of the circumstances. Chris Haynes of TNT Sports, however, followed up on January 12 with a report stating that the Lakers “remain committed” to Ham.

Haynes claims that Ham has received assurances from Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Palinka and owner Jeanie Buss that his position is safe.

The contradicting claim raises the possibility that Ham might not be out of the picture too soon, despite the belief that six sources expressing a similar idea would mean disaster for his career as a bench warmer in Los Angeles. Here are the future implications of the most recent speculations regarding the Lakers.

Less than a day had passed after Los Angeles lost at home by 14 points against a Miami club without Jimmy Butler when Buha and Charania released their report. The confusing loss was the worst possible start to a series of games that would see the Lakers play nine of their next ten games in Los Angeles.

One week after Haynes’ story was published, LA ended a five-game homestand with an 18-point defeat to Phoenix on national television. After defeating the Heat, Grizzlies, and Suns in between victories over the Clippers and Raptors, the Lakers concluded their homestand with a 2-3 record.

The sources, who spoke to Buha and Charania on condition of anonymity, claim that Ham’s drastic changes to Los Angeles’ starting lineup and rotation are the root of the discord in the Lakers’ locker room.

Ham has made a few noteworthy lineup changes this season. Among these are the decisions to sit Austin Reaves in favor of Cam Reddish nine games into the season and, more recently, to bench D’Angelo Russell in order to groom LeBron James for a point guard role.

Ham chose a starting lineup of James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, and Jarred Vanderbilt for the Lakers’ December 31 game against the Pelicans in New Orleans. Given that all five players are forwards, this decision sparked some debate.