Things haven't been going so well for the Lakers lately, losing three of their last 12 games and nine in a row.
And now, there appears to be a “deepening rift” between the team and head coach Darvin Ham. The Athletic reported Thursday.
People are wondering about his job security, according to six sources who spoke to the media about the issue.
This disconnect appears to stem from the fact that Ham has made numerous adjustments to his rotation and starting lineup, which The Athletic described as “extreme.”
The Lakers' head coach used a 10th different lineup in Wednesday night's 110-96 loss to the Jimmy Butler-less Heat.
This was the third straight game for Los Angeles in which they used different lineups for as many games.
Hamm, 50, previously came under scrutiny over his lineup choices for a Dec. 23 game against the Thunder.
In that game, they chose to start D'Angelo Russell with LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Jared Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis starting.
The move reportedly left multiple parties confused internally over the decision to keep the second guard ball handler out of the lineup.
Los Angeles hasn't been able to find the best group or find much continuity this season, and their record proves it.
The Lakers fell to 17-18 after the recent loss, but are now 3-9 since winning the inaugural NBA in-season tournament last month.
The team currently ranks 20th in the NBA in points differential per game of -0.8.
“It's all a little bit of everything right now,” Davis told reporters after Wednesday's loss. “We're not carrying out any executions. That team played harder than us tonight, executed better than us tonight, was more physical than us tonight. We did a good job tonight. I mean, right now. Everything is progressing little by little. If this trend continues, it will not be good for us. So it is clear that we need to solve it sooner or later.”
After Wednesday's loss, Austin Reeves told the Los Angeles Times. He said the atmosphere in the locker room was “great.” we are losing. ”
In contrast, Hamm seemed to suggest that the team's problems were related to a lack of health.
Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Russell have all struggled with injuries.
“Once healthy, the players have to get their rhythm back, and we have to find a cohesive unit, a cohesive rotation overall, and do it together,” Ham said. Ta. “It's almost impossible to find a rhythm when you're dealing with different players being in and out of the lineup so often. It's just reality. That's no disrespect to anyone.”
The Lakers will play the Grizzlies on Friday, hoping to snap out of their current funk.
