According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, after a tough 132-127 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had this to say about his rotations:
“My rotation, we got to really dig into that and really figure out and really take a close look … so guys are in rhythm,” he said. “We have a fantastic group of players. And I was a member of this league. It’s important to know when you’re going in and who you’ll be playing with. So, to get our rotation going, I’ll start there. That is without a doubt the most important thing on my mind.”
Clearly, Ham has accepted responsibility for what has been a glaring issue for the Lakers to begin the season. Woike goes on to say that “through three games, 10 different five-man lineups have played at least five minutes with another nine playing at least three.”
Across three games, those figures are far too high; for context, Sacramento has only had five lineups play five minutes or more this season. There are several approaches to resolving this issue, prompting Ham to be asked “if his changes would consist of tightening his rotations or being more rigid with substitution patterns.” “I think it’s a little bit of all of that,” Ham responded.
“A little bit of everything.” Major lineup changes are likely for the Lakers, ranging from the starting lineup down to the bench rotation. The Lakers are deep, and when you have a lot of good players, it’s easy to put in the wrong players at the wrong times.
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