3 changes Darvin Ham must urgently make to the Lakers
By Jason Reed
3. Send a message to LeBron James with his role in the rotation
This is extremely bold and might seem impossible for a first-year head coach to do. LeBron James is one of the greatest players of all time and is the most influential player in the league. James is the face of the sport and standing up to him and sending him a message is something no coach has really ever done.
That being said, Ham stressed in the offseason that he would play the guys who are putting in the most effort and earning a spot in the rotation. LeBron James has been really bad (by his standards) this season and the Lakers cannot let this continue if they want to turn the season around.
Obviously, Ham is not going to bench LeBron as that would be absurd. However, Ham needs to hold LeBron responsible for the way he is playing this season and send him a message that he is not the one running this team.
We have seen far too many lazy contested threes that LeBron jacks up just because he is LeBron. We have also seen far too many defensive possessions where LeBron simply does not get back or even pretend to have any sort of care.
The fact of the matter is that the Lakers have been better when LeBron is on the bench this season. That absolutely cannot be the case if the team is going to be successful. This team is only making the playoffs if LeBron is helping lead the charge and right now, he is not doing that with how he is playing.
The numbers do not lie. The Lakers have a -5.5 net rating when LeBron is on the floor this season versus a +2 net rating when he is off the floor. The only player on the Lakers with at least 200 minutes played with a worse on/off net rating is Kendrick Nunn. That is a huge problem.
That does not mean that the Lakers should pivot away from LeBron as they need LeBron to reach their ceiling. However, it is time for Ham to send a message that changes the way LeBron is approaching these games.