Darvin Ham won 90 games in two seasons as the Lakers' coach.
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The Los Angeles Lakers enter the offseason searching for a new coach.
The Lakers have fired coach Darvin Ham after two seasons, the team announced today. The Hams went 90-74 in that span, qualifying for the playoffs twice, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 and winning the first in-season tournament.
Lakers part ways with head coach Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/or3Bx2mZ5w
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 3, 2024
“On behalf of the Lakers, we deeply appreciate Darvin Ham's efforts, including his impressive run to the Western Conference Finals last year,” Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said in a statement. “We recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons.” .
“We all want to thank Durbin for this dedication and positivity. This was a difficult decision, but the best thing to do given the season we've had.” We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing championship-level basketball to our fans.”
The Lakers experienced a disappointing 2023-24 season, going 47-35, and ended with a five-game losing streak to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
The Lakers made it to the play-in tournament both seasons under Ham, and Ham ultimately led the Lakers to the postseason in both seasons, but a West Finals appearance in 2022-23 led to L.A. The stakes have increased significantly.
Los Angeles led the defending champion Nuggets for long stretches of the first round series, but Nikola Jokic and his teammates ultimately advanced to the West Regional semifinals.
Impact on Lakers: Los Angeles enters the offseason with many questions even before the coaching change. Ham was expected to be in the spotlight after two consecutive losses to the Nuggets, the first of which was a 4-0 win in the West Division final.
The Lakers' failure this season hurt because LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been healthy for most of the year, and both superstars have played in more games than they have in an NBA season since 2017-18 — Davis James was the leading scorer in NBA history with 76 games and 71 games. D'Angelo Russell also had a strong regular season, setting a franchise record for 3-pointers.
That health and success only led to a four-win improvement in the standings from last season, with Ham being slow to manage matches, make tactical adjustments, and be reluctant to rotate players or change the starting line-up. He received a lot of criticism from fans and spectators. Even when things don't go well.
Injuries, inconsistent play, and mediocre defense made for a difficult midseason stretch. The Lakers went 3-10 during the holiday period immediately following the in-season tournament.
Ham was widely criticized at times for his lineups and rotations during that poor period. Among other things, he mysteriously benched Russell and Austin Reaves and gave Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish significant playing time.
However, the Lakers bounced back and finished the season with a record of 23 wins and 10 losses, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in the SoFi Play-In Tournament to earn the No. 7 seed in the West.
James and fellow star Anthony Davis both hold player options for 2024-25, which must be exercised by June 29. If both players return, the Lakers will have D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura as their main rotation players who also have contracts remaining for next season. , Reeves, Gabe Vincent, Jared Vanderbilt.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is wondering if the long-awaited move for a third superstar can materialize through a trade, or if Hachimura and other role players argue that the Lakers could be more of a continuity contender. You need to decide whether you believe it or not.
Although Russell excelled in the regular season, he failed in the playoffs and infamously went scoreless in the Lakers' Game 3 loss to Denver. Russell was given an $18.7 million player option. is given. “It's a little bit of an impact,” the point guard said after Los Angeles' playoff loss on Monday. I'll try to take advantage of that. ”
James, Davis and the Lakers have failed to win in the playoff round in three of four seasons since winning in the Florida bubble in 2020.
Ham has two years left on his contract with the Lakers, making them their fourth coach since James was hired in 2018. He will be the Lakers' eighth new coach in 14 seasons since Hall of Famer Phil Jackson left in 2011.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
