When the 2023-24 season began, the Los Angeles Lakers had legitimate championship aspirations, and many believed they had at least some shot at claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy this summer.
Instead, those hopes and expectations have devolved into a 17-18 record and plenty of concern and bad vibes.
The Lakers have had numerous injuries this season, but none of them have been serious enough to significantly hamper their ability to play at a high level. Instead, many have blamed head coach Darvin Ham, as well as a roster that is solid but still a bit incomplete and lacking.
Yet, after Wednesday’s dispirited 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat, Ham seemed to blame injuries for the team’s inconsistent and substandard play (h/t Silver Screen and Roll).
Darvin Ham on Miami's defense: "We'll look at the film, definitely try to get better from it. Kudos to them, they played a helluva game." pic.twitter.com/gkEN4Yf1WV
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 4, 2024
While Ham has had to often juggle his lineups and rotations as a result of L.A.’s injuries, there have been enough teams, especially in recent years, that have managed to consistently win games while facing similar injury problems.
In fact, late last season, the Lakers managed to keep stringing together not just wins, but important wins even when LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell were forced to sit for extended stretches.
At this point, injuries simply aren’t a valid excuse for the Lakers being under .500 and in 10th place in the Western Conference.