It’s fair to wonder how much Ham’s assessment of the roster is colored by the likelihood of a blockbuster trade. The Lakers have already parted ways with many of their best assets, so general manager Rob Pelinka will have a hard time acquiring a third star who dramatically raises the franchise’s ceiling.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham believes the team has enough internally to turn things around after a 126-115 defeat to the Boston Celtics dropped them to 16-15 for the season.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Ham attempted to project a sense of calm amid a stretch of six losses in eight games:
Darvin Ham says his message to the Lakers after the loss was that he doesn’t feel like LAL has a major gap in talent or competitiveness with any team in the league, but the team has to focus better on the details to maximize its potential
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2023
The comments may do little to allay the fears of fans who wonder whether the Lakers could be destined for the play-in tournament for the second straight year. It doesn’t help that Ham’s message is one he preached a few weeks ago.
Darvin Ham on the fourth quarter: "We can't get bored with the details… We got to add common sense to our talent." pic.twitter.com/g7zmS4atH6
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 14, 2023
The performance of Los Angeles’ new-look starting lineup only heightened the overarching concerns.
The quintet of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish helped propel L.A. to a 129-120 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 23. That same group was then played off the floor against Boston.
Lakers' new starting lineup in 18 minutes:
– 105.0 offensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 125.0 defensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Wizards)
– -20.0 net rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 40.0 eFG%
– 46.8 TS%Minuscule sample size but it's been a disaster.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 26, 2023
Despite Ham’s position otherwise, it’s increasingly tough to ignore the conclusion the Lakers need to do something drastic if they’re going to win anything more while building around the Davis/James axis.
The current squad looks every bit like a 43-win team that got a year older and failed to make any major additions. In particular, Los Angeles desperately needs some more shooting with offseason signing Gabe Vincent hitting just 11.8 percent of his threes so far. L.A. is 28th in made three-pointers (10.9 per game).
It’s fair to wonder how much Ham’s assessment of the roster is colored by the likelihood of a blockbuster trade. The Lakers have already parted ways with many of their best assets, so general manager Rob Pelinka will have a hard time acquiring a third star who dramatically raises the franchise’s ceiling.
"One more player to keep an eye on I'm told, a potential target for the Lakers, Hawks guard Dejounte Murray."@ShamsCharania on potential trade targets for the Lakers.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/xtY6gCF2FO
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 26, 2023
Maybe the front office can identify some possible upgrades around the margins. For Ham and his staff, they may have to make do for the most part with what’s presently at their disposal the rest of the way.
