The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have lost their way after winning the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament and hoisting a new championship banner into the roof of Crypto.com Arena. The team now struggles every night against any opponent.
Since defeating the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament Championship Game in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Lakers have only triumphed in one of their six games played.
To make matters worse, Los Angeles’ lone victory came against the lowly San Antonio Spurs, who they lost to later in the week, making them one of just four teams to fall short against Popovich’s team this year.
Due to the Lakers’ current struggles, second-year head coach Darvin Ham has received a lot of criticism and attention for the team’s failings, which has some people wondering if the organization is thinking about changing.
Phil Handy is currently the favorite to become the next head coach of the Lakers, according to Bovada via NBACentral. If the Lakers decide to replace head coach Steve Ham, his replacement may come from his coaching staff.
Handy was a member of Frank Vogel’s coaching staff that remained in Los Angeles and was a favorite among the team’s players, so he was already there when Ham was hired.
It’s unclear how long the Lakers’ management will hold off on changing the head coach, as this could be a hasty decision given the team’s recent In-Season Tournament victory.
