Changes are expected to be made by the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. The 2021-22 NBA season was a huge failure for the Purple and Gold, who won just 33 games to finish 11th in the West and consequently miss the playoffs.
The front office took its time, but with Darvin Ham officially announced as the team’s new head coach, Rob Pelinka and company can move on to the stage, wherethey make roster decisions. For weeks, the future of Russell Westbrook has made big headlines.
Brodie’s first year in Los Angeles didn’t go according to plan and many consider that it should be enough to end his time with the Lakers. However, as long as Darvin Ham is at the helm of the team, it seems that Russ will continue to be a Laker.
Darvin Ham believes Russell Westbrook can still bring a lot to the table
While there was a time when no one would question Westbrook’s talent,that has changed since he joined the Lakers – but not for Ham. In the eyes of the Lakers’ coach, Russ is still one of the best players in the NBA.
“Don’t get it messed up. Russell is one of the best players our league has ever seen,” Ham said, as quoted by Fadeaway World. “He still has a ton left in that tank. I don’t know why people tend to write him off. I’m going to approach him like every player I’ve ever encountered. We’re going to talk about our running habits with the ball, without the ball.
“But again, the team, the rhythm of the team, and trying to establish the rhythm with LeBron, Russ, AD. Again, share the load defensively and offensively. Defensively is where you’re going to see us make our biggest leaps and bounds. We have to commit to the defensive side of the ball or we don’t have a chance to do anything. The offense won’t even matter if we don’t get stops.”
Getting the best out of Westbrook will be one of the biggest challenges for Ham. The Lakers gave up a lot just to get him, yet his connection with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was not the expected thus far. Even so, it seems that he’ll have one more chance to prove his doubters wrong.