Darvin Ham promises 2-8 Lakers will 'turn the corner'

It has been an abysmal start for the Los Angeles Lakers, but first-year head coach Darvin Ham isn't set on giving up just yet.

Heck, they're only 10 games into this season.

"I would say this, man. And write it, quote it, however. This may be happening now at the outset of what we're trying to force to be a culture change in terms of getting us back to being highly competitive on a highly consistent basis, but it's not going to always be like this," Ham told reporters on Tuesday, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"We're going to turn the corner. I didn't come here to lose. They didn't bring me here to lose."

That's the message you would expect any head coach to give while staring down the barrel of a 2-8 start, but especially so a coach in his first go-'round — ever — in the big chair.

The problem for Ham and the Lakers is that for as confident as he is, reality simply does not look all that good for L.A. The Lakers started the season on a five-game losing streak, and after winning two in a row, they're back on a losing skid of three. 

They've got a roster that features LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, but this is 2022, not 2012. 

James is still averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, but at 37 years old, he's no longer the best player in the world as his body starts to slow down and get banged up. Speaking of banged up, Davis always seems to be one tweak away from missing significant time, and Westbrook has been more notable for missing shots this season (and last) rather than making them.

The Lakers are built to dominate from 2010 to 2020. They're not so much built to contend in 2022-23 as currently constructed.

Still, don't tell that to Ham. He's trying to stay positive and embrace the moment as a first-time head coach.

"There is a process involved where we have to go through tough times," Ham said. "Like, I want to bottle this up. I want to embrace it. I want to have it and store it so when things are turned around and we get too comfortable and we start complaining about some problems that are not even necessarily problems — problems that winning teams go through — I want to be able to reflect on these times."

We'll see how long reflecting on the struggles seems embraceable for Ham. It probably won't be for long.