After orchestrating an impressive comeback season last year, coach Darvin Ham looks to turn things around for the LA Lakers in his second season. While the Purple and Gold have had a slow start this year, struggling to climb their way up in the Western Conference. As a result, fans and analysts have been particularly critical of his work as a coach.

Basketball podcaster Kenny Beecham recently said that as long as you’re coaching LeBron James, a coach will never be exempted from criticism.
“No LeBron (James) coach is really safe after the first season,” Beecham said. “It’s just the way it works. Should he be safe? It’s hard to really say. I know a bunch of Laker fans that hate his rotations. … With LeBron teams, you usually got an 18-month window and then you can get on the hot seat.”

"No LeBron [James] coach is really safe after the first season."@KOT4Q on Darvin Ham's safety as the Lakers Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/afkkxzeCjl

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 26, 2023

Can the Lakers turn their season around with Darvin Ham as their coach?

LA Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls

Darvin Ham is now coaching in his second season coaching the LA Lakers. While his team was off to a promising start, especially after winning the NBA In-Season Tournament, the Lakers (16-15) have slowly fallen into another hole and appear to be struggling to secure a winning record. As a result, many are wondering if it’s time for a change of scenery in LA.

Last season, Ham was criticized for a 2-10 start. He received a lot of heat considering how he had three All-Star players in Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

However, as time went by, Ham’s strengths as a coach came to the surface and the Lakers slowly but surely made their way into the play-in tournament with a 43-39 record.

While many believed that LA’s success was thanks to the adjustments made to its roster in the second half of the 2022-23 season, Ham should be commended for getting his new roster’s chemistry to gel perfectly. They managed to make it to the Western Conference finals.

With momentum by their side, many fans and analysts expected the Lakers to be a well-oiled machine this season, especially since they essentially kept the same lineup from last year.

However, there may be no one else to blame but Darvin Ham at this point. His stars, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, have consistently done their part to help the team win. However, with bad rotations becoming a hindrance, LA has struggled to keep up with the teams in the West.

Ham could be the problem that the Lakers organization needs to address before it becomes too late to make a comeback this season.