(Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t a good basketball team right now.
Darvin Ham has raised plenty of questions about his ability to coach a championship-caliber team, and they’re stumbling to the finish line.
Nonetheless, even though they haven’t found consistency, LeBron James continues to be a symbol of efficiency and impact.
As pointed out by NBA analyst Jason Timpf, James has been an MVP-caliber player this season, and particularly since the All-Star break.
He’s the only player averaging at least 27 points per game on at least 50% from the field and at least 40% from beyond the arc, and the Lakers are a whopping +131 with him on the floor and -71 with him off the floor.
LeBron is the only player in the league post All Star break to be averaging at least 27 PPG on at least 50% from the field and at least 40% from three.
Here’s the craziest part:
They’re +131 in his minutes, and -71 with him off the floor. https://t.co/tzVDOnGSc1
— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) April 13, 2024
Notably, that points out just how much Ham has struggled to get by without him.
Granted, he needs to have LeBron fresh and healthy for when it matters the most, but sitting him during long and key stretches clearly hasn’t worked out, yet he continues to do it.
Also, cameras have caught James snubbing him and ignoring his decisions, reaching out to assistant coach Phil Handy for his input instead.
It’s not the first time that LeBron has waived off one of his coaches, and chances are he’s more knowledgeable and has a higher basketball IQ than Darvin Ham- or most people around the league, for what it is worth.
Then again, that also speaks volumes of how little confidence their star player has in their coach, and that’s something Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka will have to assess in the offseason.
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