Former NBA star J.R. Smith has shared his thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent struggles, pointing out that head coach Darvin Ham was unfairly blamed for the team’s shortcomings.
Speaking on a basketball podcast, Smith argued that the Lakers’ roster, not Ham’s coaching, was the primary reason for their inability to contend for a championship last season.
“Darvin Ham was a scapegoat,” Smith said. “Everyone was quick to point fingers at him, but the reality is the roster wasn’t built to win. You can’t blame the coach when the pieces just don’t fit.”
Smith, who won an NBA championship alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and later joined the Lakers for their 2020 title run, pointed to a lack of depth and poor roster construction as key issues.
He highlighted the team’s struggles with consistent shooting, defense, and role-player contributions as critical factors that hampered their success.
“When you look at the Lakers last year, they relied way too much on LeBron and AD [Anthony Davis],” Smith explained. “Those guys are amazing, but you can’t win with just two players doing all the work. They didn’t have the shooters or defenders to back them up. That’s not on Darvin Ham—that’s on the front office.”
The Lakers made significant midseason trades in 2023 to bolster their roster, bringing in players like D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
While the moves improved the team’s performance and helped them reach the Western Conference Finals, Smith believes it wasn’t enough to make them true title contenders.
“You can’t wait until halfway through the season to fix the roster,” Smith said. “By then, it’s too late. The team chemistry isn’t there, and you’re asking guys to do too much, too fast.”
Despite the criticism, Smith acknowledged that Ham showed promise in his first year as a head coach, managing to guide the Lakers through a turbulent season and deep into the playoffs.
“Darvin did the best he could with what he had,” Smith said. “You give him a better roster, and I guarantee you the results will be different. He’s a solid coach, but he needs the right tools to succeed.”
The Lakers have made several offseason moves to address their weaknesses, re-signing key contributors and adding depth with players like Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood.
Fans and analysts are eager to see if these changes will help the team return to championship form under Ham’s leadership.
Smith’s comments have sparked debate among fans, with some agreeing that the roster was the main issue, while others believe coaching decisions played a bigger role in the Lakers’ struggles.
As the new season unfolds, all eyes will be on the Lakers to see if they can prove their doubters wrong.
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