Getty Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers don’t have a ton of time to figure things out. They just got LeBron James back, and while they would normally like to have some time to regain their chemistry and figure things out, the postseason is only a few short weeks away.
With James back in the lineup, some players are inevitably going to lose minutes. It’s just the way things go. In their Sunday afternoon loss to the Chicago Bulls, that player was Rui Hachimura, and head coach Darvin Ham spoke about the dilemma after the game.
“I mean, it’s hard,” Ham said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “There aren’t enough minutes for everyone. Lonnie [Walker IV] has gone through that in the last several games. When you have a lot of good players, through no fault of their own, someone is going to be left out of the rotation. And tonight, it was Rui.”
James’ presence in the lineup means some players simply won’t be able to earn the same amount of playing time they were when he was out. They were on a roll after the trade deadline, and now they have to figure out how to play with everyone back out on the court together.
Unfortunately for Hachimura, he got the short end of the stick on Sunday night, earning zero playing time against the Bulls.
As for James, he came off the bench in his return to action, logging 29:32. The Lakers superstar ended the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 0-of-2 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Troy Brown Jr. Sounds Off on LeBron James
Meanwhile, Troy Brown Jr. stepped into the starting lineup against the Bulls and played a huge role. However, after the game, he spoke about the difficulties of figuring out rotations with James back in the lineup.
“I feel like there’s some good to it and some bad to it, honestly,” Brown said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Just it being so quick. You kind of go to get used to it. Obviously, he plays a certain way. He moves the ball a certain [way]. We were playing a certain style, and then he comes back, and we have to adjust. So, it’s good to have these next two days to figure it out and get it together. Obviously, we’re very happy to have him back. But there are some things where it was like, ‘Dang, if we just had a little bit more practice, it definitely would have helped us.’ But we’re definitely happy to have him back.”
Anthony Davis Sends Message on LeBron James
In addition, Anthony Davis spoke about the importance of playing the right way and focusing on themselves down the stretch of the season.
“Us coming out and playing Lakers basketball,” Davis said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I mean, it’s not a two-man show. We got other guys who make our jobs easier. When guys are making shots, and we’re playing off fastbreak points and not taking the ball off the net the entire time, then we’re able to flourish. Both of us. So, just come out and just be LeBron James and Anthony Davis. All the other guys are going to be themselves. Don’t overthink it. Don’t put too much pressure on ourselves. Just come out and play basketball.”
