The Los Angeles Lakers are out of title contention once again. Just like last year, it was the Denver Nuggets that kicked LA out of the postseason. While on paper this series was better (1-4 series loss instead of a sweep), the games told a completely different story.
At every point of the series, the Lakers continually had multiple chances to win the games. They held double-digit leads at one point during every game. However, they were really only able to convert one of those games. LA's inability to close the games when they matter the most eventually led to their demise.
The Lakers now face a ton of questions after this season. How much will this roster change in the offseason? Will LeBron James continue to play with the team? What about Darvin Ham? Analyzing the key reasons why the Lakers lost in the series to the Nuggets will help us get more informed decisions on the upcoming decisions for LA.
Darvin Ham
We mentioned earlier in the piece that the Lakers held double-digit leads at some point in every game of the series against the Nuggets. Every game, James and Anthony Davis would propel LA to a lead of some sort. However, just like clockwork, the team would eventually squander the lead.
Now, credit has to be given to the Nuggets for clawing back in every game. The series proved that even when they're not at 100% , they're able to flip that switch when needed to get the victory. However, one can also attribute this loss to Darvin Ham's mismanagement of the Lakers' rotation throughout the game.
From questionable roster decisions to keeping cold players in way too long (more on that later), Ham got a lot of flak from Lakers fans from his decisions. There were subtler errors from Ham, such as saving a coaches' challenge late in Game 2. All these have made LA fans angry at Ham for his shoddy coaching job.
Almost immediately after the game, there were reports that Ham's seat at the table was getting uncomfortably hot. Barring a major change of heart, it seems likely that Ham will be exiting the team. He was able to lead the Lakers to the playoffs… but for a team like LA, making the playoffs is the bare minimum.
D'Angelo Russell
Some players just can't figure out what to do against a particular team. For D'Angelo Russell, his kryptonite seems to be this pesky Nuggets squad. The Lakers star guard has struggled mightily against Denver. He averaged just around six points per game on horrible efficiency while being hunted out by Denver's guards on defense.
Russell did bounce back and have a relatively better series here. He was a crucial part in the Lakers' Game 4 win, and had an awesome game in Game 2 that was unfortunately wasted. That being said, though… Russell looked rough in the other three games. That includes a fat goose egg in a Game 3 loss that sent them down to the dreaded 0-3 hole.
On paper, D'Angelo Russell seemed to have a good series. That being said… his duds came at a pretty rough time. In the season-ending loss, Russell only had 14 points on so-so efficiency.
What's next for Lakers?
Everyone, including the Lakers themselves, had high expectations for LA this season. After a magical run to the Conference Finals, they were hoping that the team could build off of that. Unfortunately, this loss shows that this team seems to be flawed in more ways than one.
How will the Lakers go about fixing this roster? We'll have to wait and see.
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