Darvin Ham and the Lakers are now trailing 0-3 versus the Nuggets. As they lost Game 3, there seems to be no pattern on which the Lakers can rely. The Nuggets have been dominating the Lakers since December 2022, and they might as well continue to improve their record, 12-0. There have been multiple reasons why the Lakers have been underperforming. Most of them point the finger at the head coach.
However, former NBA player, Chandler Parsons doesn’t believe that Darvin Ham is the problem. While some of the players including D’Angelo Russell haven’t been consistent this postseason, the team was heavily affected by the same. However, Parsons believes that the squad is not well constructed to go up against Denver.
Find me anybody in the world that can coach this Lakers team to victory against this Denver Nuggets team. I don't care, bring Phil Jackson, bring Pop, there's no coach that can coach that to beat that team. Chandler Parsons said on Run It Back
The Lakers were pretty close to their first postseason win this year in Game 2. They led by as many as 20 points, however, the Nuggets came back in the second half, with Jamal Murray hitting the game-winner over Anthony Davis to go up 2-0 in the series. The smallest of the mistakes have cost the Lakers two games so far.
Darvin Ham has received a lot of hate throughout the series
The Lakers lack bench support and backup shooters, as one looks from a bigger perspective. However, Darvin Ham could’ve played his stars more in Game 2, which could’ve resulted in a win. With the current roster, the Lakers only rely on Spencer Dinwiddie, Gabe Vincent, and Taurean Prince as their bench support. In Game 3, fans let their frustration out on the head coach, as they demanded the Lakers to fire coach Ham.
Apart from that, the Lakers lost their momentum coming into the postseason. The Lakers, who were the 9th seed, made an incredible run at the end of the regular season to secure the 7th seed. Since the All-Star break, they had won most of their games, which led to the hype for the first round.
Though two weeks later, the Lakers have found themselves in a 0-3 hole against the Nuggets. They will look to avoid a sweep at home on the 27th, as they look for their first win in Game 4.
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