How should we grade coaches? Unlike players, their impact is a bit more nebulous. They don’t actually step on the court and get buckets, as Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said after a collapse in the fourth against the Lakers this past season. “I’m not the savior here. I’m not playing. I’m watching, just like you guys.” So how do we assess year one of Darvin Ham’s tenure as the Lakers’ 28th head coach?
Let’s start from the beginning.
Initially, Ham focused on discussing defense and modernizing the Lakers’ offense transitioning to a four-out-one-in motion offense.