In a Wednesday night matchup between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, it became evident that the Heat are a better-coached team. Despite the Lakers’ efforts to stay competitive, the Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 110-96 victory. This outcome highlighted the stark contrast in coaching between Erik Spoelstra of the Heat and Darvin Ham of the Lakers.
Spoelstra has been with the Heat organization since 1995 and has been its head coach since 2008. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in coaching, which has been evident in the team’s success over the years. On the other hand, Ham, a former NBA player, only recently secured his first head coaching job with the Lakers in 2022. Although he has spent 12 years as an assistant coach with various teams, his lack of head coaching experience is starting to show.
One of the major issues with Ham’s coaching has been his constant lineup tinkering. The Lakers have had 10 different starting lineups this season, which has caused discontent among the players. This inconsistency has affected the team’s performance, particularly in the first quarter against the Heat where they struggled with turnovers and poor shooting from beyond the arc.
Furthermore, the Lakers have been unable to close out games effectively. This was evident in their Wednesday night matchup against the Heat, where the Heat put the game away in the fourth quarter with a quick 5-0 run. The Lakers’ struggles in the fourth quarter have been a recurring theme, and it is a combination of coaching and roster issues.
The Lakers currently rank as the fourth-worst fourth-quarter scoring team in the NBA, and they also commit a high number of turnovers per game. These statistics reflect a team that struggles to find a bucket when it matters most. Additionally, the Lakers lack a second offensive creator to complement LeBron James, who is now 39 years old. The team brought in players like Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, and Gabe Vincent during the offseason to improve the offense, but they have not been able to make a significant impact.
While Ham may be tinkering with the lineup and rotations too much, he is simply trying to maximize the roster he has been given. The Lakers’ roster consists of veteran players whose games are unlikely to change significantly. Ham’s job is to figure out the best way to utilize the current roster, and he has been doing the best he can under the circumstances.
Ultimately, the Lakers’ issues extend beyond coaching. Unless they can add more firepower to their offense, their season is unlikely to end differently from the previous one. Changing the head coach may not be the solution to their problems. The Lakers need to address their roster deficiencies and find ways to improve their overall performance if they want to have a successful season.
