In the wake of an early playoff elimination, Darvin Ham‘s job security at the Los Angeles Lakers seems to be in danger. While the loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs may seal his fate, it looks like his work has already been questioned inside the building.
According to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, people within the organization didn’t like Ham‘s decision to bench both Austin Reaves and D’Angel Russell at some point of the season:
“During the 13-game skid, the Lakers used six starting lineups, including two variations of an all-wing lineup — James, Davis, Taurean Prince, Vanderbilt and either Cam Reddish or Hachimura — for five games (the team went 2-3). The decision to bench both Reaves and Russell, the team’s consensus third- and fourth-best players, did not sit well with many within the organization and locker room, according to team and league sources.“
The purple and gold went through a rough patch between December and January, which is why Ham tried different lineups that included benching Reaves and Russell. The team, however, only took off when they were back in the starting five, and the franchise reportedly felt it lost time by playing some games with them on the bench.
“Ham’s decision was viewed as a panic move that backfired, a divergence from the team’s stated goals of developing reps and continuity with the core players and groups from last season. Instead, those lineups and groupings didn’t play as much as they could have, even as bench or closing lineups.“
Ham not expected to continue as Lakers HC
Ham is now on the hot seat after failing to lead the Lakers to another deep playoff run. He managed to keep the job last year by reaching the Western Conference Finals, but the sweep by the Nuggets raised some concern.
The fact that his team was once again unable to compete against Denver makes people wonder even more if he’s the right guy for the job. According to The Athletic, Ham is not expected to remain at the helm of the Lakers for the 2024-25 NBA season.
“The Lakers’ unflattering finish leaves Ham’s future as head coach in serious peril, multiple league and team sources tell The Athletic, with some stakeholders indicating it’s highly unlikely he’ll return. The plan is to reassess everything that went wrong in the coming days before making a final decision. In 2022, Ham signed a four-year deal in the range of $5 million per season, so the team would be assuming the remainder of his deal if he is fired.”