Interpreting Hamm's rumors after class: Who is the one who has a disagreement with him The last two changes of formation have been supported by Zhan Mei

The Athletic's Charania and Buha's revelations come at a good time. On January 5, Beijing time, the NBA only scheduled two games that were broadcast live in the United States. There are few events, the highlights are relatively concentrated, and the two celebrities threw a bomb:

Lakers coach Darvin Ham has serious disagreements with the team, and Ham's extreme rotation and starting start have caused dissatisfaction.

So, who is it that disagrees with Hamm? Is it LeBron James, who had a bad last game and looked a little negative? Maybe not. Ham's last two changes have been backed by James.

First change: Reeves plays as a substitute

Ham's first change of lineup was against the Suns at the start of the season, when Reaves was in a slump, and Ham put Reaves off the bench and started with Reddish. Ham's strategy is clear, so that Russell and Reaves can be used separately to avoid wasting resources, and Reddish can improve the Lakers' defensive ability against the ball.

Ham said the decision was a shared decision by the Lakers coaching staff, and they agreed it was a reasonable decision. Ham also reassured Reaves, saying that this adjustment does not mean "relegation", and he wants Reaves to become the Lakers' Ginobili. Judging from Reeves' performance and Hamm's hiring, this is indeed a reasonable decision. Reeves played well off the bench and became one of the contenders for Sixth Man of the Year. Ham still used Reeves heavily in the closing minutes, and his playing time was not cut.

Second change: Russell plays as a substitute

Before the game against the Thunder on December 24, 2023, the Lakers suffered a four-game losing streak, and Ham changed the lineup for the second time. This time, Ham moved Russell, who was underperforming, to the bench and cut his playing time, with Vanderbilt coming into the starting line-up. In the first game, the Lakers won against the Thunder. But then, the Lakers lost to the Celtics, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and only won against the Hornets in the middle.

Regarding Ham's decision to take out the starting five Tigers of Vanderbilt, Reddish, Prince, James, and Davis, the James-eyed combination is supportive.

"The advantage of this starting lineup is that it's better in height and athleticism, and it has a great ability to switch offense, but the downside is that it doesn't have a traditional point guard, which is not a disadvantage," Ham said. "After all, it's actually James who plays point guard.

Both Davis and James pushed for Ham to continue with the starter, and when it came to the offense of the new starters, they both thought it was just that they didn't shoot. Davis also believes that even if their starting lineup doesn't play well offensively, they can defend first. "We've got a lot of transitions and when we're not defending, it's hard for us to get transitions. The new starting lineup defended well and we had to defend and that helped us play the transition. ”

Third change: Reeves returns to the starting lineup

In the game with the Pelicans, the Lakers lost by 20 points, Russell did not play due to injury, Hachimura started in place of the injured Reddish but retired due to injury after playing less than 8 minutes, Reaves scored 20 points and 9 assists in 36 minutes. After the game, James said he enjoyed being on the court with Reaves, regardless of whether Reaves was a starter or a substitute.

In the next game, Ham put Reeves in the starting lineup. In the end, Reeves scored 24 points and 8 assists, and his performance lived up to his expectations. But James languished and only made 6 of 18 shots, and the Lakers lost at home.

epilogue

Judging from Hamm's three changes in formation, the first time was completely a decision of the coaching staff, and the second and third times were supported by the two cores of Zhan Mei. If anyone is dissatisfied with Hamm's decision, Russell, who lost his starting position and played less minutes after the second change of formation, will definitely be dissatisfied. As for Wood and Hayes, who are difficult to get playing time, there may also be dissatisfaction. But what is clear is that the two cores of Zhan Mei and Hamm are still on the same front.

Reeves lamented that "omnipotence can sometimes hurt the team", because omnipotence means that there are many ways to line up the lineup. So far, the Lakers haven't found the most reasonable lineup. Theoretically, Ham could restart last season's starting lineup of Russell, Reaves, Vanderbilt, James and Davis after Russell's return, but it is not known whether Ham will be fired first or Russell will be traded first.