The home win over the Clippers gave the Lakers a little breather, and the return of D'Angelo Russell made the Lakers no longer look so awkward in terms of personnel rotation, and Ham could once again use a rotation of at least nine men, which allowed the Lakers to have more physical fitness, more time, and maintain enough defensive intensity, which was also the key to their victory over the Clippers. In terms of record, although the Lakers have not returned to a 50% winning rate, due to the loss of the Warriors, the Lakers have temporarily returned to the 10th place in the West. The Lakers signed a contract, Titans are close to returning, Ham is supported, and James is calm.
Despite the victory over the Clippers, it still can't hide the fact that the Lakers have been performing poorly during this period. The reason for this is inseparable from their physical fitness, as well as injury problems. The continuous high-intensity campaigns in the midseason, coupled with the successive injuries of the core rotation players, the Lakers' intensity and concentration have declined, which naturally led to a decline in their record, and the management is also well aware of this. According to NBA reporter Woj, sources have revealed that free agent Skylames has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Lakers. With the addition of Dylan Windler, which the Lakers previously signed, the Lakers' two two-way spots have been filled (both Alex Fuch and Dimojfuch have been cut).
Mays, a 1.93-meter-tall point guard, was selected into the league with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 draft. This season is the fourth season of Mays' career, he has a record for the Hawks and the Trail Blazers, and before being waived by the Trail Blazers, Mays averaged 6.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.7 steals per game. In addition, Mays faced the Lakers twice with the Trail Blazers this season, and he scored a total of 30 points and 21 assists in two games, with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 12 assists in the two games, and 15 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists, which clearly impressed the Lakers. With Vincent having surgery on his knee and Russell also on and off, the Lakers signed Mays to address the problem of backcourt depth.
However, as time goes by, the Lakers' lineup is slowly getting neat, after Russell's return, before the next game against the Raptors, the Lakers officially released the team's injury report. Although Hachimura is unlikely to play, he has taken the first step in his comeback, and in this wave of back-to-back home games of the Lakers, it is not surprising that Hachimura will usher in a comeback, so that the Lakers' injury list is only Vincent left.
The return of the injured player is definitely good news for the Lakers, which can be seen as a relief in the snow and improve the team's rotation depth. Due to the Lakers' poor record during this time, trade rumors around them are flying all over the sky, compared to trade rumors, Lakers coach Darvin Ham's dismissal turmoil is even more spread all over the city, and even most people agree that once the Lakers lose to the Clippers and suffer three consecutive home defeats, Ham will be fired immediately. However, from a factual point of view, the Lakers' internal support for Ham has indeed exceeded outside expectations. In addition to reports that Lakers management is backing Ham, even Lakers owner Jeanie Buss sent him a long text message expressing support for Ham during a turbulent phase.
In addition to that, we can also see James' attitude. In the face of the Clippers, James' data is 25+8+7, which is not even as impressive as the Lakers' losing streak. However, James' offense and defense are full, and the defensive end mainly focuses on Leonard, occasionally switching to George, which can be seen that James' attitude is to win. If James doesn't support Hamm, this Los Angeles derby, let alone win or lose, he will definitely not show a playoff attitude and see how Ham adjusts. It can be seen from James's efforts that he is also very supportive of Ham to stay with the Lakers.
In addition, James is also very aware of the current situation, despite the victory over the powerful Clippers, but in the interview, James was very calm, he said that this victory still can't change the fact that they have performed poorly in the past, the Lakers need to maintain the current momentum, and continue to tap the potential from the process of winning, see the problem, even if they win, the Lakers have exposed a lot of details. As long as they continue to pay attention to the details and improve on this aspect, the Lakers will become stronger. To truly turn the tide of momentum is not a win, but a continuous improvement. I have to admit that James is indeed very calm.