When the Lakers fired Darvin Ham after an 11-game losing streak in the playoffs, people thought the team would perform better with the HC gone. Eventually, JJ Redick filled the vacant role. However, former purple and gold star Patrick Beverley recently made a surprising revelation that restored his faith in Darvin Ham. But it also prompted media veteran Trevor Lane to believe the Lakers made the right call in parting ways with the head coach.

During an episode of The Pat Bev Podcast, the former Lakers star revealed that he recently ran into Darvin Ham in Vegas. And Beverley was taken aback by what Ham said to him. “Just wanna let you know, Pat, I apologize.” When asked what the apology was for, Beverley claimed that Ham regretted not heeding his advice that the Lakers needed more practice to win rather than relying solely on their talent.

Addressing Pat Bev’s comments on the Lakers Nation podcast, Trevor Lane claimed it revealed one key detail. “Darvin Ham calling up former players to apologize and what I thought was particularly interesting about this was that he was apologizing for not practicing enough. Relying too much on talent. Because when we talk about what the Lakers were looking for this summer in the coaching market. One of the thing was, they were looking for a grinder. Someone who was willing to put in the work. And that’s suggesting that Darvin Ham didn’t. That he wasn’t putting in the work, not at the level that the Lakers would expect.”

Beverley had also revealed that the former head coach even asked him for Russell Westbrook’s number to issue a similar apology to the former MVP. Both Pat and Russ were part of the Lakers’ roster during the 2022-23 season before being traded mid-season.

Lane continued, “And so if that’s the case, Darvin Ham calling up Patrick Beverley … and apologizing lends credibility to the idea that Darvin Ham didn’t put in the work… Him calling up Patrick Beverley and apologizing, that story getting out, tell me, ‘man, maybe the Lakers were right in their assessment of Darvin and him not putting in enough work.'”

Lane’s opinion reminds us of The Volume’s Jason Timpf’s scathing review of Ham earlier this year. Seeing the Lakers’ struggles throughout the regular season, he held the coach responsible with his “staggering incompetence” remark.

However, let us not forget that the Lakers have changed the head coach several times.

With Redick as the new coach for the team, people have high expectations. And like history suggests, the Lakers will not refrain from changing coaches if they don’t get the desired outcome.

Can JJ Redick do what Darvin Ham couldn’t?

Despite Ham leading the Lakers to a Conference Finals last year and finishing with a 90-74 overall record, he no longer fit the team’s needs. Consequently, Pelinka placed his trust in rookie head coach JJ Redick, hoping he could lead the team to greater success.

Although JJ has never coached a professional team, he seems extremely willing to put in the work like the Lakers want him to. “I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dispel anything. I want to become a great coach in the NBA, and I want to win championships. And I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s all I f**king care about,” he said.

Moreover, JJ has demonstrated his love for the intricacies of the game and the importance of work ethic through his roles as an analyst and podcaster. Adding to this, he has built solid relationships with many players in the league, earning mutual respect due to his years as a player and the appearances of many superstars on his podcast.

So, while Beverley revealed that Ham didn’t focus too much on practice and hinted at his ‘incompetence’, JJ is expected to be more detail-oriented in his approach. In about a month and a half, the players will begin their training under their new HC for the first time. The team can only hope that he is the solution to the issues they have been facing.

We will have to wait and see how things turn out for the rookie coach. What do you think? Please let us know in the comments.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger