D’Angelo Russell Blames Darvin Ham’s Ties With Ex-Lakers Guard for WCF Debacle

Getty Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers paces the sideline in front of D'Angelo Russell during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Los Angeles Lakers star point guard D’Angelo Russell pinned the blame on Dennis Schröder’s presence for his strained relationship with coach Darvin Ham or lack of it during his Western Conference Finals struggles last season.

“[Schröder’s] relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin,” Russell told ESPN in a feature story that came out on March 13.

“When I was struggling, I would’ve been able to come to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.’ Instead, there was no dialogue. … I just accepted it.

“And we got swept and I’m here and he’s not. And I like our chances.”

Schröder spent his first five seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks where Ham was an assistant coach from 2013 to 2018.

Ham leaned heavily on Schröder as Russell saw his minutes drastically drop as he struggled in the Denver series after playing a key role in the first two rounds against Memphis and Golden State.

Russell revealed he was reluctant to return to the Lakers this season until Schröder signed with the Toronto Raptors as a free agent.

“They were like, ‘We’re going to do whatever to try to keep you here,'” Russell told ESPN. “And I was like, ‘Are y’all going to let me rock out, though?'”

D’Angelo Russell’s Love-Hate Relationship with Darvin Ham

The ESPN story detailed the love-hate relationship between the Lakers starting point guard and their coach that reached its boiling point in a heated clash in the film room in January.

Ham hit on Russell’s nerves when the coach demanded more effort in their execution, to which the point guard snapped back, demanding better schemes.

“There’s times we agree to agree, agree to disagree or come to an understanding,” Ham told ESPN of his relationship with Russell.

“But it’s not so much the dialogue as it is the access to have it. And I can’t stress that enough. I can go to him and let him know how I feel and meet him halfway, or tell him I need him to come more over to my way, or [it can be] him telling me how I need to trust him more and come more over to his way. And it’s a workable relationship.”

D’Angelo Russell’s Growth

Russell emerged as a better player from Ham’s decision to move him to the bench in December. And the Lakers’ starting point guard welcomed their disagreements.

“We played tennis with that,” Russell told ESPN. “I hit the ball back, he hit it to me. … That’s the season. That’s what you use 82 games to develop, and we developed it.”

Since Russell returned to the starting lineup in a January 13 road loss at Utah, where he scored a previous season-high 39 points, the Laker’s former No. 2 overall pick rose to the challenge and became the team’s undisputed No. 3 guys, sometimes No. 1 option when LeBron James sits a game.

In a 26-game stretch since then, Russell is averaging 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

Russell claimed he’s done his homework and vowed never to be benched again in the playoffs.

“I’m ready for it,” Russell told ESPN. “I studied for this test.”

It remains to be seen if Ham will lean on him this time with no more Schröder to lean on when the going gets tough in the playoffs.

But the high-stakes games in April and potentially May and June will reveal which Russell will show up.

Is it the Russell who capped a 44-point explosion against the Milwaukee Bucks with the game-winning floater or the one who was benched once again down the stretch in a March 2 loss to the Nuggets?