The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the process of trying to climb up the Western Conference standings in order to secure a playoff spot and make a run in the NBA Playoffs. While the results have been great since the NBA trade deadline, there are still frustrating losses (like to Houston) that are holding the team back.
No NBA team is perfect but it is the teams that can minimize their flaws the most that end up being successful in playoff basketball. If Los Angeles is truly going to make a run at winning it all, there are some significant flaws that must be overcome.
3 biggest Lakers flaws the team must overcome:
1. Darvin Ham’s poor rotation decisions
Darvin Ham has not been a very good head coach in his first season with the purple and gold. Granted, he was not handed the best roster to start the season but his rotation decisions this late into the season are worrisome.
Ham loves going small, loves running multiple-point guards and absolutely loves Dennis Schroder. Schroder is the most up-and-down player in the league it seems like. Some nights he is a key contributor to the team’s success. On other nights he can be the reason they lost the game (like he was against Houston).
The solution:
Ham needs to tweak his rotations for the playoffs, shrinking it to 8-9 players. He also needs to showcase a better feel for the game. This is someone who has played professionally in the NBA before. If Schroder is making boneheaded plays then yank him. No reason to just keep throwing stuff at the wall and hope it sticks.
Players are ultimately far more impactful than coaching but a coach can single-handily lose a playoff series. Just ask Doc Rivers.