When Darvin Ham took the Lakers job, the outlook was not encouraging. The purple and gold came from a terrible season, in which they didn’t even make the Play-In, and the mood in Los Angeles was far from great.
His first months as a head coach were clearly tough, as the team struggled to get results at the beginning. In fact, the Lakers found themselves 2-10 early in the season. Eventually, Ham was able to turn things around.
The Lakers’ season took a huge twist in part to the front office’s moves at the trade deadline, but the coach’s work shouldn’t be overlooked. With the Lakers now on pace to challenge for the title, LeBron James addressed how Ham progressed throughout the year.
LeBron James speaks on Darvin Ham’s first year as Lakers HC
“For us, we’ve been a part of this franchise the longest now. We’ve had our battles together,” James said, via Lakers Nation. “For us to be able to have that relationship with the coaching staff, have that relationship with Coach Ham, him to be able to trust us on the floor that we can be a extension of his, relay his commands, his messages, it just makes it a lot calming for him that he knows he has guys on the floor that has been in a fight, has been in a foxhole and has experience in tough games.
“Every game and every day is another learning experience for our coaching staff and for us. We just try to make it as seamless as possible when we step on the floor with the game plan they’re giving us.”
The Lakers have become a dangerous team after Rob Pelinka retooled the roster in February, but Ham had to do something right to get them here. Now, he’ll have to prove whether he’s prepared to lead the team further.