Darvin Ham is ‘highly unlikely’ to return as head coach of the Lakers, per reports. Here is why.

Darvin Ham may have already coached his final game for the Los Angeles Lakers.

After two years with the organization, Darvin Ham may have already coached his final game for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite an improbable run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 as well as a championship in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, the Lakers arguably underperformed relative to expectations during Ham’s time as head coach.

Already reportedly on the hot seat amid a disconnect earlier this season, a first-round exit makes his case to return even less compelling.

Following another elimination against the Denver Nuggets in a second straight postseason for Los Angeles, it seemed possible that Ham had already accepted his own fate with the franchise. He reflected on his experience with the team, calling it a “hell of a two years” as head coach.

Some of the initial reporting provided further context as to why Ham may already know he could be on the way out as the head coach.

For example, the players reportedly felt the coaching staff held an “absence of effective direction” and the team occasionally felt they won games on their own (via The Athletic)

“[By] the time the Lakers’ season ended in Game 5 against Denver on Monday night, when Jamal Murray’s second game-winner of the first-round series sent the Lakers home less than a year after the Nuggets swept them last May, there were strong signs within the organization that Ham would be deemed most responsible.”

Per the report, Ham’s status as head coach is in “serious peril” and it is “highly unlikely” that he will return to the organization next season.

Other criticism included his “fluctuating rotations, game plans and lack of adjustments” during the regular season and playoffs. While players reportedly had “tremendous respect” for Ham as a person, they felt they needed someone to actually coach them as well.

Another report from Dave McMenamin was just as damning for the coach. Ham’s job status was described as “very much in jeopardy” heading into the offseason (via ESPN):

“The internal expectations to win the championship in June only heightened, while the fallout from shuffling his lineup — first benching Reaves and later D’Angelo Russell while sticking with Taurean Prince even after Jarred Vanderbilt had returned from a left heel injury that cost him the first 20 games of the season — hurt Ham’s reputation both inside and outside the organization, sources told ESPN.”

His “lack of accountability” came into question, as did his inability to settle on a starting lineup.

With all that in mind, fans of the team can likely expect a new head coach next season. As for the rest of the roster, though, that is far more uncertain.

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