Darvin Ham Disputes Anthony Davis's Belief That Lakers Don't Know What They're Doing

L.A.'s coach is refuting Davis's comments after a Game 2 loss to Denver.

Oct 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) speaks with / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 20-point lead en route to suffering a devastating Game 2 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday night. Defeatism has set in as the Lakers now trail the defending NBA champions 2–0. Now, the players and coaches appear to be on the verge of turning on each other.

After Game 2, Anthony Davis claimed, "We have stretches where we don't know what we're doing on both ends of the floor." It seems like that might be an issue during a competitive playoff game. And, honestly, after watching the Lakers this season, that would make a lot of sense.

On Wednesday, Lakers coach Darvin Ham refuted Davis's comment.

"I just think sometimes plays don't turn out the way you think they should. The frustration sets in a little bit," Ham said. "But I don't think it's, for us, not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff and we pride ourselves on, whether it's a practice or shootaround, games, whatever, we pride ourselves on being highly efficient and organization. So I would just chalk that up to being frustrated, you know it's an emotional game the way it ended and all of that. But I'll agree to disagree on that one."

This isn't really an "agree to disagree" situation. Either the Lakers know what they're supposed to be doing or they don't. Either way it's an issue. If they do know what they're supposed to be doing and aren't executing, that's a problem. If they don't know what they're supposed to be doing, that's also a problem.

The Lakers have now lost 10 straight games to the Nuggets—an unbelievable stretch of dominance for Denver. Nikola Jokić and his teammates have Los Angeles figured out and always find a way to get the job done. The Lakers are understandably frustrated by it and have begun sniping at each other.