Lakers Can’t Afford to Play This Poorly Much Longer

Injuries. Poor shooting. Dreadful starts. Things have begun to unravel over the last month in L.A.

Darvin Ham wants you to believe it’s injuries, that Rui Hachimura’s calf, D’Angelo Russell’s tailbone and Cam Reddish’s groin are the reasons the Los Angeles Lakers have been in a free fall since winning the in-season tournament in December.

“We got to get healthy,” Ham said. “When you’re dealing with different guys being in and out of lineup that frequently, it is damn near impossible to find a rhythm. That’s just being real.”

Ham (left) has come under criticism for the Lakers’ poor stretch :: Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Davis has made it clear it’s not the injuries, that even with the bumps and bruises, the Lakers—2–8 over the last 10 games—should be finding ways to win.

“Everybody’s capable of doing what they have to do for us to win basketball games on both ends of the floor,” said Davis. “So the whole lineup thing isn’t an excuse.”

Austin Reaves, for what it’s worth, agrees with him.

“We’re more than talented enough to go win games,” Reaves said. “We have enough depth. We have enough skill. We gotta figure it out.”

It’s January. Wednesday’s loss to the Miami Heat dropped the Lakers to 17–18, the first time L.A. has been under .500 since November. The Heat, now that’s a team that can make excuses. Miami has used 19 different starting lineups this season. Its Big Three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have played six full games together. But the Heat don’t make excuses for losing. They find ways to win.

Have the Lakers had injuries? Sure. Who hasn’t? Bradley Beal has played 10 games for the Phoenix Suns. The Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray missed most of November. Kawhi Leonard just missed a stretch of games, and the Los Angeles Clippers exist in a constant state of fear he could miss more. The Lakers have played 35 games this season. Five of their top rotation players—Davis, Reaves, LeBron James, Russell and Taurean Prince—have played in at least 32 of them.

“We got high-level IQ guys who know what we should be doing,” said Davis, “and know what they should be doing individually.”

The Lakers’ problems run deeper. Much deeper. They can’t shoot. At all. L.A. is 27th in the NBA in three-point percentage (34.6%), per NBA.com. The lowly Detroit Pistons shoot it better. On Wednesday the Heat spent most of the game in a zone defense. They dared the Lakers to shoot threes. L.A. did, going 4-for-30.

The starts to games have been dreadful. The Lakers’ net rating in first quarters is -15.3. Only the Portland Trail Blazers’ is worse. L.A. has trailed in 24 games after the first quarter. No one is worse. The Lakers have a habit of digging themselves into early holes. With an offense too weak—24th in the NBA—to dig it out.

Fingers are being pointed at Ham. The Athletic reported this week that there was a “deepening disconnect” between Ham and the players, largely due to Ham’s rotations which, if we’re being honest, have been shaky all season. Max Christie’s minutes have fluctuated. Christian Wood’s, too. Last month, Ham benched Russell and made James the point guard. This week Ham reinstalled Reaves—who has been on something of a bizarre de facto minutes restriction—into the starting lineup.

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The hits are coming from everywhere: ESPN, Fox, radio, TV, podcasts. Even team-friendly outlets like Spectrum SportsNet are questioning Ham’s decision-making. On the Lakers’ postgame show Wednesday, James Worthy looked positively bumfuzzled as to why L.A. couldn’t figure out a simple zone.

Some of it is on Ham. Some of it is on the players. Russell’s shooting numbers have dipped from last season. Christie’s three-point percentage has plummeted. Reddish’s percentages—sub-40% from the floor, sub-30% from three—make him an offensive liability. The support for James and Davis—both having excellent seasons—has been anemic.

Davis (3) is off to another great season, averaging 25.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per game :: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Said Reaves, “We have to do our part in helping them out.”

From his perch at Crypto.com Arena, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka has absorbed it all. Pelinka isn’t going to fire Ham. Just 18 months ago Ham was his handpicked choice. Ham did a terrific job integrating all the new players L.A. added before last season’s trade deadline. He deserves criticism. Not his walking papers.

But the Lakers need something. Pelinka did the right thing last summer, prioritizing continuity over a big, roster-gutting splash. He got Russell, Reaves and Hachimura back on team-friendly contracts, got Davis to sign a not-so-team-friendly extension, took flyers on Wood and Jaxson Hayes and bet on the momentum from last season’s run to the conference finals continuing.

It hasn’t, and now Pelinka has to decide if it will return. There’s a case to be made that the Lakers will play better. Ten of L.A.’s next 11 games are at Crypto.com Arena, and the injuries to Reddish, Russell and Hachimura are effectively day to day. Gabe Vincent, a celebrated signing last summer, had knee surgery last month, but he could return after the All-Star break.

But they might not. The Lakers can’t afford a gap year. James is 39 and can be a free agent this summer. Pelinka may have to decide whether it’s worth rolling the dice on a scorer like Zach LaVine or emptying out what’s left of L.A.’s assets to try to pry loose Dejounte Murray or Pascal Siakam. Either way there is risk.

The Lakers were in a similar position last season. They made smart moves, came together and were one round away from the Finals. It happened before. With James and Davis, it can happen again.

“This isn’t last year,” said Davis. “Different team. But what I can say is we just played. We just competed. We got to do the same thing now.”