The Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with Darvin Ham after two seasons and it was the correct call.
For a team of LA Lakers‘ caliber, it was a shame to miss the 2022 NBA playoffs. As a result, they replaced then-head coach Frank Vogel with rookie Darvin Ham.
Ham’s stint with the Purple and Gold lasted just two seasons before he was sacked. The ex-Lakers coach felt the decision was unjustified.
He pointed that out after winning his second-straight NBA Cup, albeit as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.
But here are three reasons why the Lakers firing Ham was justified.
Being a head coach is not only about understanding the X’s and O’s on the court but also commanding respect in the locker room.
In Ham’s case, he had to manage players of LeBron James and Anthony Davis‘ caliber. Unfortunately, there were a plethora of instances where it felt like the dynamic duo was coaching itself.
The dominoes fell quickly after that as Ham slowly lost respect in the locker room and his sacking became inevitable regardless of winning the NBA Cup and helping the team reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
After all, even though the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup, the 2-9 stretch that followed it, gutted the team’s morale.
A head coach is only as good as the players on the roster. Sure, the Lakers didn’t have the best roster in the league during Ham’s stint, but it wasn’t the worst either.
Ham’s inability to play his best players together was a huge reason behind the Lakers’ struggles. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that benching Austin Reaves to give Taurean Prince extra minutes isn’t a great strategy.
D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt were both vocal about a lack of understanding in their roles within the team. And yes, how can we forget Ham’s never-ending experiments with the backcourt?
There were a plethora of times when he was over-reliant on LeBron James. The result? James was visibly gassed during important games of the season.
Even the greatest NBA head coaches in the history of the league didn’t achieve success overnight. The likes of Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra have been with their teams for years.
The difference in their strategies and tactics from when they started is huge. Unfortunately, Ham didn’t have that cushion.
Coaching the Lakers, who have an aging James, they are in a win-now mode. Ham’s lack of experience was exposed by his irrational timeouts and poor substitution patterns on a weekly basis.
Moreover, the bright lights of LA certainly got to Ham as his body language gave it all away from the sidelines. Oftentimes, Ham looked clueless, which gave birth to his popular “hands in pockets” meme.
So, even though Ham did lead the Lakers to the WCF and won the NBA Cup, he simply lacked the experience to truly lead the franchise to a championship.
The Lakers have now placed their trust in another rookie head coach, JJ Redick. While the Lakers had an excellent start under Redick, the next few weeks could make or break his coaching career, at least with the Purple and Gold.
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