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Lakers Officially Cut Ties With Head Coach Darvin Ham After Two Seasons

His time in Los Angeles officially ends after two seasons.

Matt Levine

After much speculation, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham following two seasons. While Ham did lead the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals a year ago, his inability to maximize the talent on the roster was ultimately what doomed him.

Los Angeles struggled to find any sort of consistency this season, leading to an early first-round playoff exit. Multiple injuries to key role players throughout the year did play a part in this but Ham failed to make necessary adjustments when needed.

His funky rotations throughout the year rubbed many in the locker room the wrong way and he seemingly lost the support of the players as the year went on. Multiple members of the Lakers pointed to coaching decisions during post-games, leading to the thought that they believed Ham didn't know what he was doing.

His lack of understanding within games also led to this dismissal, showing that he hadn't improved as a coach during his time with the team. When he was first hired, Ham brought energy to the club and many were excited for the potential he had. But it quickly showed that he may have been in over his head, leading a team with title aspirations.

The issues that the Lakers saw don't only fall on the shoulders of Ham but a change is needed. Los Angeles couldn't afford to double down again on this group and Ham became the casualty of that.

The Lakers will now begin searching for a new leader of their coaching staff and are expected to take their time with the hiring. This will be the organization's third coaching hire since 2019, making this one extra crucial to the franchise's future.

Names such as Tyronn Lue, JJ Redick, and Mike Budenholzer have circled but many more will come into focus soon. This summer is one of the most important in recent memory for Los Angeles and they need to get this coaching hire correct this time.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.