I Los Angeles Lakers won the first In-Season Tournament in NBA history in December, but they have not been the same since that trophy. The yellow-viola, since winning the finals against the Pacers, have since lost 9 of their 12 games and are currently on an open streak of 3 consecutive KOs against Minnesota, New Orleans and Miami. As if that were not enough, a mix of bad results and technical choices, would generate tension between coach Darvin Ham and the locker room., as reported by Shams Charania.
Ham, head coach of the Lakers since summer 2022, recently moved D’Angelo Russell to the bench., promoting first Jarred Vanderbilt and then Cam Reddish to the quintet, to no avail. In general, Ham has tried so far. 10 different starting quintets on the season, 3 in the last 3 games. The very decision to bench Russell would generate some puzzlement among the players, despite the fact that in the first game the Lakers had won against OKC on Dec. 23.
The locker room reportedly expressed their doubts to the coach after the last loss against the Heat without Jimmy Butler. Both Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves also told the media that they do not think these constant quintet changes are helping the team, although they should not be taken as an excuse. The Athletic’s article on the matter concludes with a lapidary “patience is beginning to run out.”, which certainly does not bode well for the future.
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
