The Los Angeles Lakers’ dreams of moving further in the postseason have been diminished by the Denver Nuggets, as they defeated the former with a concluding score of 108-106 in Game 5 of the Playoff Round 1 Series.
Final. pic.twitter.com/UV2dQvOmmG
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 30, 2024
With the loss again suffered at the hands of the Nuggets, head coach Darvin Ham’s future could be in question and doesn’t appear to be constructive. According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, Jovan Buha, and Sam Amick, the head coach of the Lakers and his return for another season seem “highly unlikely”.
As per the Athletic, “The Lakers’ unflattering finish leaves Ham’s future as head coach in serious peril, multiple league and team sources tell The Athletic, with some stakeholders indicating it’s highly unlikely he’ll return. The plan is to reassess everything that went wrong in the coming days before making a final decision. In 2022, Ham signed a four-year deal in the range of $5 million per season, so the team would be assuming the remainder of his deal if he is fired.”
Darvin Ham is “highly unlikely” to return to the Lakers, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/wxtx8yyXYC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 30, 2024
Lakers finish to season has left coach Darvin Ham’s future in serious peril, as some stakeholders indicate he is highly unlikely to return, sources say.
What went wrong for L.A. and inside LeBron James’ future at @TheAthletic with @sam_amick, @jovanbuha: https://t.co/soHAI7QRpk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 30, 2024
After the Game 5 defeat, head coach Ham shared, as per the report, “It seemed like every time we hit a rhythm, somebody, a key piece, would fall out of the lineup. It is what it is, man. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself, for ourselves. It’s an unbelievable franchise to represent. I couldn’t ask for a better governor, a better president of (basketball operations) in Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. But I’ve seen a lot my first two years in this seat. I’ll continue to work, to get better and to control what I can control.”
Regarding Ham’s inadequacies as a head coach, there are a number of factors that could be considered, including rotation decisions and unsteady in-game management.
The Lakers became the first team to win the In-Season Tournament, the NBA Cup; however, they were not able to cross the Nuggets in the Playoff series. The Los Angeles Lakers have not been able to reach the top spots in the Western Conference since the 2019-2020 season.
