When the Los Angeles Lakers put together a six-game winning streak earlier this season to pull to 10-4 through 14 games, some fans felt like first-year head coach J.J. Redick was finding ways to maximize L.A.’s roster in a way that former head coach Darvin Ham couldn’t.
However, the Lakers have regressed since then, losing seven of their last 10 games to drop to 13-11 on the season. Meanwhile, some people may be starting to feel like L.A. still has roster flaws that a coaching change can’t fix.
One Western Conference scout addressed the topic.
“It’s been interesting to me, Darvin took a lot of s— last year,” the scout told ESPN. “I think now you’re seeing like, ‘Oh, maybe it wasn’t Darvin. Maybe it’s the f—ing roster.'”
Here’s a look at where the Lakers were through 24 games in each of their two seasons under Ham:
- 2022-23 season: 10-14
- 2023-24 season: 14-10
Redick, in his first season, falls right in the middle, having a better record through 24 games than Ham did two seasons ago but not last season.
The good news for anyone hoping to see the Lakers acquire some help is that trade season is heating up in the NBA. The deadline is set for Feb. 6, and more rumors are starting to leak regarding what could happen around the league.
There is reportedly a belief among rival scouts and executives that the Lakers would love to add help at point guard and in the frontcourt.
“The Lakers remain armed with D’Angelo Russell’s $18.6 million expiring contract, plus several more minimum players on expiring deals, as well as their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks, but it’s going to be difficult for one trade to fix the myriad issues with the current roster,” wrote ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “That has led to a belief among rival scouts and executives that the Lakers would love to find both a point guard and a big man to fill out their roster — though adding both, with the team’s limited assets, won’t be easy.”
The Lakers likely won’t make a deal just for the sake of making a deal, but if they have options that make sense, they shouldn’t be shy about pulling the trigger. They saw in the 2022-23 season that taking some risks via trade can have wonderful results.
With regard to the scout’s comments on Ham, it will be worth monitoring how Lakers fans feel about him after some time passes.
A portion of the fan base certainly felt like he was a liability to the team, but if L.A. struggles this season and beyond, perhaps some folks will start to think that Ham was a victim of poor circumstances with the Lakers. That can be true even if he did make some questionable coaching decisions at times.
Currently, Ham is an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Redick and the Lakers haven’t faced the Bucks yet this season but will do so twice in the month of March, giving Ham a chance to reunite with some familiar faces.
