Things are not going well for the Los Angeles Lakers, and head coach Darvin Ham’s latest comments seem to underscore that reality.
Ham switched up the starting lineup, removing D’Angelo Russell and inserting Jarred Vanderbilt alongside surprise starter Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis to poor results.
After two games, Ham is already putting players on the spot.
“I just think not allowing it to stagnate us,” Ham said, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic on December 26.
“If they’re trying to play off, Cam’s got to step up shooting with confidence or eat up that space on the drive,” Ham continued. “Collapse the defense once he touches the paint and try to find an open man. Same thing for Vando. The ball hits him, you just can’t hold it and be confused. You just gotta move on to the next thing.”
Reddish and Vanderbilt combined for 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc in the loss to Boston.
The former has scored at least 10 points in just seven of his 19 starts this season.
Vanderbilt has scored more than two points just once in his 10 appearances this season after missing every game before that, including all but the preseason opener. He is also 0-for-9 on the season from deep.
The Lakers signed Reddish in free agency on a two-year, $4.6 million contract. They acquired Vanderbilt at the trade deadline last season.
Vanderbilt inked a four-year $48 million extension this offseason.
Lakers Weary After Road-Heavy December
Ham previously pointed to the Lakers playing what will be eight of the 14 games in December on the road, including two three-game treks. He also noted the commotion of the holiday season will soon give way to the “dog days” of the season.
The Lakers began and ended November with four-game road trips.
“We came back a little lethargic, just coming off a long trip and then the whole Christmas circumstances of the holiday or whatever – early game,” Ham said after the game via NBA.com. “Took us a little bit of time to get going.”
They will get a bit of a break with nine home games out of 10 outings to start January. But then they will hit the All-Star break with eight road games in 12 contests, including a six-game trip.
“I agree with Coach Ham, as far as the details,” James said via Spectrum SportsNet. “When you don’t have much room for error, you have to be detail-oriented. You have to understand each possession. And when you’re able to execute that to close as perfection, then you’re going to give yourself even a better chance to be successful.”
LeBron James Points to Lakers’ Injuries for Slump, Starting Lineup Combinations
Part of the reason the Lakers are having to try things at this point of the season is because they have been missing pieces – like Vanderbilt – all season.
Vanderbilt has worked his way back into the starting spot. Prince secured the role in his absence during the preseason. But the Lakers will be without free agency signing Gabe Vincent for the next six to eight weeks.
He had surgery to address a knee issue that has limited him to five appearances this season.
“I think the league’s best teams right now so far is … Minnesota – they pretty much healthy – OKC was pretty much healthy besides [Josh] Giddey. And Boston is … fully healthy,” James said. “I don’t think we’re healthy right now. I don’t think we’re where we want to be to compete versus the top teams.”
