Source: Lakers Players ‘Hated’ Playing For Darvin Ham, Have ‘Loved’ Everything JJ Redick Has Brought To Table

The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham as head coach and hired former NBA guard JJ Redick, who has yet to coach above the youth level.

Redick, who was podcast partners with LeBron James, played 15 years in the NBA with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks.

In Ham’s two seasons, the Lakers went 90-74. The Denver Nuggets swept Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and beat the Lakers again in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. 

Although the Lakers have only played two preseason games (both losses) under Redick, 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, who is now an assistant coach with the Bucks. 

Anthony Davis, one of the top defensive players in the NBA, was never a fan of Ham’s drop coverage defensive tactic, sources said. And LeBron, the leading scorer of all time, wasn’t pleased when Ham tried to limit his minutes to begin last season. 

“Look, Darvin was a nice guy,” one NBA source said. “Players liked him as a person. He’s easy to talk to. He’s a former player and won a championship. Players respected him as a person. But that was the biggest issue. They respected him as a person, not as a coach. His schemes, rotations and inability to take accountability for his mistakes rubbed guys the wrong way all year. They started tuning him out all the way back in December.”

The offense Redick has installed for the Lakers “blew away” one player, sources said. From an X’s and O’s standpoint, Redick has “run circles around Ham,” sources said. 

LeBron, one of the smartest players in NBA history, “rolled his eyes” multiple times last season when Ham would draw up offensive plays, sources said. Redick’s offense is focused on screening and constant movement and the players are “loving it,” sources said. 

“There wasn’t one player on the team who posted any message on social media after Darvin was fired,” a second NBA source said. “That wasn’t a coincidence.”