Lakers: Darvin Ham Heaps Praise on Russell Westbrook In Introductory Presser

Darvin Ham was incredibly complimentary of Russell Westbrook during his introductory press conference on Monday.

The Darvin Ham has officially begun. The Lakers new head coach and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka held an introductory press conference at the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo today. Media members were on hand for Ham's big day and inevitably, the new head coach was asked about Lakers guard Russell Westbrook.

Ham took the opportunity to compliment Westbrook at length and state that he believes the former MVP still has a lot in the tank.

“Don’t get it messed up. Russell is one of the best players our league has ever seen. He still has a ton left in that tank. I don’t know why people tend to write him off. I’m going to approach him like every player I’ve ever encountered. We’re going to talk about our running habits with the ball, without the ball."

Now, it's an introductory press conference. The new head coach is supposed to be overwhelmingly positive about all of his players, especially his stars, but Ham went above and beyond just "checking the box" on the topic of Westbrook.

It's not secret that Westbrook, who was in attendance for Ham's presser, struggled to to find his groove offensively last season with the Lakers. He finished second in the NBA in total turnovers (295) and 89th in two-point field goal percentage (48.5%) among qualified players. 

Since it's becoming more and more apparent that the Lakers intend to start the season with Westbrook on the roster, one of Ham's biggest challenges will be maximizing the abilities of the 33-year-old guard.