3 LAKERS ON THIN ICE HEADING INTO THE PLAYOFFS

After a regular season that was filled with ups and downs, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally arrived at the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. The Lakers face an uphill battle this postseason as the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, meaning their journey begins with a Play-In Tournament matchup against the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers are one of the NBA's most storied franchises, so it isn't surprising that they're facing a lot of pressure this postseason. In fact, some members of the team are facing more pressure than others as they skate into the playoff on the thinnest of ice.

With that in mind, here are three Lakers who are on thin ice ahead of the NBA playoffs.

1. HC Darvin Ham

Unless the Lakers go on a deep playoff run, there's a good chance that Darvin Ham's first season as Los Angeles' head coach could be the last.

Inconsistencies have plagued Ham's team throughout the 2023-24 season. The Lakers will look like contenders for one moment only to get knocked down a peg by getting stuck in a losing streak. The fact that they're only a Play-In team despite boasting LeBron James and Anthony Davis — two of the league's best players — is nothing short of embarrassing.

Even though anything can happen in the playoffs, Ham's coaching does little to inspire confidence. The 50-year-old HC's constant lineup tinkering is one of the reasons Los Angeles struggles to establish consistency. Ham just can't seem to figure out how many bigs/guards he wants to deploy or how the minutes should be divided up. It's been frustrating to watch because it isn't any issue that legitimate contenders (Nuggets, Celtics, etc.) have to deal with.

A failed postseason run from Ham also won't help to convince LeBron to re-sign with the Lakers this offseason. The four-time NBA MVP holds a player option this summer and could opt out as it's his only way to get a no-trade clause. If the team struggles in the playoffs and the Lakers hold on to Ham, "The King" could look elsewhere to finish his career with a more competent coach.

Another reason why Ham is in trouble is because it doesn't seem like the players are fans of him. Hoops Wire's Ashish Mathur reported earlier this month that the Lakers players wanted to replace Ham with assistant coach Phil Handy earlier in the season only for owner Jeanie Buss to shut things down.

Unless Ham can convince the players (and fans) that he's a legitimate NBA head coach with a solid playoff run, there's a decent chance that he'll be a one-hit wonder in Lakers lore.

2. Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG

After the trade deadline passed, the Lakers added some reinforcements in the form of Spencer Dinwiddie. The veteran point guard signed with Los Angeles for the remainder of the year after being waived following a trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors.

It was a move that made sense at the time. The Lakers needed backcourt depth and Dinwiddie looked like he could provide a solution. After all, the ex-Colorado product has averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 assists while playing nearly 550 games across five NBA franchises.

Unfortunately, Dinwiddie appears to have taken a step back since joining the Lakers. The 31-year-old playmaker suited up in 28 games (4 starts) for Los Angeles, averaging 6.8 points, 2.4 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and .397/.389/.880 splits while playing about 24 minutes per night.

Although his efficiency has somewhat improved since switching teams, Dinwiddie's offensive production leaves much to be desired. He went from averaging 20.3 points, 9.7 assists, and 3.0 threes made per 100 possessions with the Nets to 13.4, 4.8, and 2.5 with the Lakers. The minus-3.2 offensive box plus/minus since joining Los Angeles is also the second-worst mark of his career.

Dinwiddie is playing on an expiring contract, highlighting his need for a strong postseason run. If he can't figure out a way to contribute to the Lakers' playoff success, his time in Los Angeles could be nearing its end.

3. Gabe Vincent, PG/SG

In an effort to add depth to the lineup, the Lakers signed veteran point guard Gabe Vincent to a three-year, $33 million contract during the offseason. Much to his dismay, though, Vincent's first year in the City of Angels couldn't have gone worse.

After playing in each of the team's first four games, Vincent missed the next 23 in a row due to a knee injury. He attempted a comeback toward the end of December but suffered a setback against the Chicago Bulls, resulting in his needing to undergo surgery that held him out of the lineup until March 31.

Unfortunately, Vincent has still left much to be desired since his return. The former UC Santa Barbara product has looked lost in the six games since coming back, averaging 1.2 points, 1.0 assists, and 0.7 rebounds while shooting 17.6% from the floor and 9.1% from deep. He even finished four of those games with zero points despite playing at least 13 minutes in each contest.

If Vincent doesn't pick it up in the playoffs, I won't be shocked if the Lakers trade him this offseason. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported in February that Los Angeles had dangled Vincent in trade discussions, indicating that the franchise might not be too keen on dealing with the remainder of his contract.

Moving Vince will be easier said than done given his 2023-24 performance. Having said that, he's "only" 27 years old and I won't be surprised if another team believes that they can rehab his career. Only time will tell if that winds up becoming a reality this summer.

This article was originally published on lasportshub.com as 3 Lakers on Thin Ice Heading into the Playoffs.

2024-04-15T19:13:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd