Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s standing in question amid locker room disconnect: Sources.
LOS ANGELES – Following their ninth loss in 12 games, the Los Angeles Lakers have hit a new nadir in their season, amplifying concerns about the direction of the season from both inside and outside the organization.
There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room, six sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, raising questions about the head coach’s standing.
The people spoke with The Athletic on condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely on the matter.
Those sources have described that the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster.
The Miami Heat, playing without superstar Jimmy Butler, beat the Lakers 110-96 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
The loss dropped Los Angeles to 17-18 — the first time they’ve been below .500 since Nov. 11 — and put them just .001 percentage points above the Golden State Warriors for No. 10 in the Western Conference.
The Lakers are 3-9 since winning the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. They’ve lost three games in a row, and Wednesday night’s defeat led to rising turbulence.