Darvin Ham tells LeBron everyone needs to step up defense

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is willing to hold the Lakers accountable for their defensive play and agrees with LeBron James on the matter.

The latest report from Yahoo! sports insider Chris Haynes portrays some painful conversations that take place behind the scenes at the Lakers facility.

As LeBron James and the Lakers approach negotiations for an extension — with a possible one Two-year, $97.1 million contract on the table – James made it known how he feels about last year’s team, according to Haynes’ sources. Haynes wrote in distressing detail about how James felt the team “didn’t even give each other a chance many nights.”

“The hour-long meeting was all about voicing concerns and hearing strategies and opinions to ensure last season’s epic failure is not repeated.

Sources said James highlighted the importance of constant competitiveness and cohesion, noting last season’s team didn’t give themselves a chance on many nights. The focus for the future Hall of Famers is to compete each night to give themselves a chance to compete for a championship.”

Apparently, James isn’t the only one having tough talks about the future of the elite NBA franchise. Newly installed head coach Darvin Ham is also looking back on last year’s debacle and looking for ways to improve. And if the players don’t give themselves a chance this year, Ham is determined to rip them off the pitch.

“Ham agreed with James, reiterating that his main goals are to hold everyone accountable and foster an atmosphere of selflessness, sources said. He expressed that defensive tenacity needs to be addressed throughout the squad and also warned that players would need to play new roles and if he felt reluctance he would not hesitate to remove them from the game, sources said.

Darvin Ham agrees with LeBron James on dismal Lakers defense in 2021

Since stepping onto Lakers Nation, Ham has known he’s been watching Los Angeles closely over the past year and knows exactly what needs fixing.

Namely, Ham has spoken at length about how he plans to hire Russell Westbrook in the coming year and play to the strengths that brought the former OKC star to the Lakers in the first place.

Overall, the Lakers didn’t have the worst defense in the NBA last year, but they certainly ranked lower than any Lakers fan would wish. LeBron and his team walked in 21 among NBA defenses with a 112.8 defense rating. The Lakers also ranked 21st in defensive rebound percentage at 72 percent. When it came to counterpoints allowed in the paint, the Lakers ranked 28th among the worst in the league with a point average per game of 51.5.

Though the Lakers still have a lot of work to do offensively, James and Ham already seem to agree on one thing: improving defensive capability for Banner 18.