The Lakers‘ season has taken a nosedive since winning the in-season tournament, as they have gone 3-9 since. With their recent 110-96 loss to the shorthanded Miami Heat at home, they have dropped below the .500 mark for the first time since November 11. When asked about the loss, coach Darvin Ham blamed the injuries to their rotation players as a contributing factor to the loss. He said, “We can’t find any consistency until we get healthy. It’s as simple as that,” after the Lakers lost their third straight game.

However, the players think that it is high time they stop blaming injuries for their losses. Austin Reaves said, “We can’t use that as an excuse. We’re more than talented enough to win games. We just gotta figure it out.” Anthony Davis held a similar opinion. “Guys being out is no excuse. There’s no excuses for us.”

Austin Reaves on the lack of continuity in lineups, impacted by injuries to role players:

“We can’t use that as an excuse. We’re more than talented enough to win games. We just gotta figure it out.”

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 4, 2024

As per Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there is reportedly a “deepening disconnect” between the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Darvin Ham, which has put a question mark on his future with the team. This “disjointedness” between Ham and the locker room stems from his decision to implement “extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments,” which has made it difficult for the players to establish a consistent rhythm.

The Lakers’ string of losses can’t solely be attributed to their injury-riddled lineup. Even though Rui Hachimura (left calf strain), Russell (tailbone contusion), and Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) were sidelined, the Lakers still had James, Davis, Reaves, and Russell on the floor. The root of their struggles lies in their poorly constructed roster. Despite their offensive shortcomings, Ham continues to favor Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince as starters. In the recent defeat against Miami, both players failed to score a single point despite logging 19 and 29 minutes on the court, respectively.

The Lakers are unhappy with the lineup adjustments

After making it to the Western Conference Finals with the starting five of James, Davis, Reaves, Russell, and Hachimura, the core team wanted to run back with the same lineup in hopes of better results this time. However, over a third of the way into the current season, three of those players, Russell, Hachimura, and Reaves, now find themselves coming off the bench.

The team has adopted an entirely new offensive strategy, resulting in a significant reshuffling of the roles of the core six players involved in that successful playoff run, who have reportedly only played 1 minute together this season. The team is reportedly not happy with these changes, and their patience with the coach is wearing thin.

This is Ham’s second season with the team, which included a 2-10 start that ended with a Western Conference finals berth. Therefore, even though the Lakers are currently a far cry from a playoff spot, there is still hope they might turn things around. Do you think the Lakers should fire head coach Darvin Ham? Let us know in the comments!

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