Jamal Murray’s series-clinching hit may have ended Durvin Ham’s era in Los Angeles.
Ham’s status as the Lakers’ coach is in “serious jeopardy,” and his second season ended in a first-round playoff exit, leading some to believe that “the chances of him returning are extremely slim.” ing”. According to The Athletic.
Murray hit the game-winning jumper with 3.6 seconds left in Monday’s Game 5 for the Nuggets, ending the Lakers’ season with a 108-106 lead.
Coaching the Lakers almost always comes with championship aspirations, especially when LeBron James and Anthony Davis don the purple and yellow uniforms.
The Lakers have reached the Western Conference Finals once under Ham (last year’s blowout win over the Nuggets), but are just 90-74 in the regular season.
Ham’s job situation has been a hot topic this season, and the heat has been heating up since the Lakers once again fell behind against the Nuggets.
Playing against Hamm made the players feel like they had no connection to him. According to The Athletic.
The newspaper reported how the players effectively called their own plays during the come-from-behind victory over the Clippers on February 28.
“But it was a sign that the locker room was coming together to overcome what some players saw as a difficult situation where the connection with the head coach was tenuous,” the newspaper reported. . “Their self-development appears to have stemmed from a perceived lack of effective direction from the coaching staff.”
Being lost in the locker room is usually a clear sign that a coach may be on his way out, and The Athletic reported that there were “strong indications” Hamm would be a player in the fall.
“We need to be coached too,” one player told the publication.
There’s no shame in losing to the Nuggets, who could be aiming for their second straight championship, but the Lakers envisioned this team going beyond the first round.
The Athletic reported that the Lakers plan to quickly assess what went wrong before deciding on his fate.
Hamm, a former Bucks assistant, just completed the second year of a four-year contract that pays him about $5 million per season, according to the outlet.
“Throughout the series and most of the season, however, team officials and players believed Hamm’s fluctuating rotation, game plan and lack of coordination led to the group’s underperformance,” the newspaper reported. “That created dissatisfaction within the locker room, and that became evident throughout the franchise.”
Ham seemed to have tried to make it clear over the past two seasons that leading the team is no easy task, perhaps in a public attempt to save his job.
“It seemed like every time we got into a rhythm, someone, an important piece, would fall out of the lineup. That’s what it is,” Ham said after the loss, according to The Athletic. reported.
However, this season, James played in 71 games, while Davis, who was plagued with injuries, played in 76 games, the most he had ever played in a season.
“I’m not going to feel sorry for myself or ourselves,” Hamm said. “It’s an unbelievable franchise to represent. You couldn’t ask for a better governor and (basketball operations) president than Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. But I’ve done a lot in this seat for the first two years. I’ve seen it and I’m going to continue to work hard and get better and control what I can control.”
