“NBA sources have told Hoops Wire that players have ‘loved’ everything Redick has brought to the table. Those same sources also said that Lakers players ‘hated’ playing for Ham.” This report highlighted the significant change in the Lakers from the previous season. When Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka gave the ESPN analyst his big break, it certainly raised doubts about whether he’d be up to the task. When it came to winning over his players, however, JJ had a lower bar to achieve, since the media widely showed instances of Darvin Ham’s unpopularity. Weeks into the season, glimpses of mutual respect between the HC and his players continue to appear.

Earlier today, the official X account of LakeShow Highlights uploaded a clip on their feed. From the final minutes of the Lakers-Grizzlies matchup, it featured JJ Redick sitting on the floor with a chart of the court in his hand. He explained some strategies that the team could utilize in the final minutes. Everyone from LeBron James and AD to Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura listened intently.

Even the caption of the video highlighted the contrast from the previous season, by stating, “Compared to Darvin Ham last year, huge difference i would say.” Darvin Ham was the Lakers‘ head coach for two seasons. However, across last season, several reports suggested players not being too fond of him, especially LeBron James. Lakers Daily’s Andrew Irvin once revealed how the veteran would sit in a huddle with his teammates when Ham would give instructions. As he spoke, Bron would occasionally “roll his eyes”.

Once Ham was done, the player would then get up, exclaim “f–k all that” to his teammates, and give out his own set of instructions. In an episode of his and JJ Redick’s ‘Mind the Game’ Podcast, LeBron even revealed going against Ham’s instructions, stating “We had switching built in versus Kawhi and vs. James and whatever the case may be, and I vetoed it in the second half.”

Instances of disapproval with Ham were displayed not only by current but ex-Lakers players too. Scotty Pippen Jr, son of the legendary Chicago Bulls star, served as a point guard for both the Lakers and its G Affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. They waived him in October 2023, after he spent only 1 year with the LA teams. After a memorable performance in the recent Grizzlies-Bucks game, Pippen Jr stated, “One of the coaches over there didn’t believe in me, so I had to show him that I could play defense…” Reports assumed that Darvin Ham, who took up a position with the Bucks after the Lakers fired him earlier this year, was this coach. Yikes!

Fortunately, for the Lakers, Darvin Ham is a part of history now. JJ Redick is the present and their future. From what fans see from the outside, a certain bond does seem to exist this season, that contrasts the one between the players and the former HC. However, has this ‘bond’ bettered the performance of the Lakers? Not according to some recent revelations…

Lakers are performing slightly worse under JJ Redick than Darvin Ham, reports

Less than a week ago, Fadeaway World released an analysis of the Lakers’ performance up till this point. Despite having lost 4 games, the squad has made up for it by winning 7 other matchups. Therefore, from the outside, everything may seem the same. However, a shift seems to have taken place in the Offensive and Defensive Rating, along with 3-Point Percentage, for the Lakers this season.

During the 2023-24 season, the offensive rating for LeBron James and Co. stood at 115.9. The defensive rating was at 115.3 and the players shot the three-pointers with a 37.7% average success rate. Now, over the first 8 games of the season, the LA side has seen their offensive rating drop to 114.5. While the defensive rating has seen a jump, going up to 118.6, the three-point success rate has gone down to 34.4%. When compared to the 28.6 assists from last season, JJ Redick’s troops delivered only 26.6 assists per game.

The stats under JJ Redick are not criminally worse when compared to Ham’s final season with the Lakers. But we were all expecting ‘reform’, weren’t we? JJ seems to have already won with his players on a social level. Now, he just has to make them serial winners!