Anthony Davis on Lakers HC Darvin Ham: You'd 'Run Through a Brick Wall' for Him

The Darvin Ham tenure is one game old for the Los Angeles Lakers, but it's safe to say one of the star players is already a fan of the new head coach.

"I love him and his system," Anthony Davis Davis told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "He is one of those coaches you would run through a brick wall for. He got your back to make you work hard for him. He's definitely a player's coach. He's been great for all of us. He lets us play freely offensively and keeps a defensive edge."

Fair or not, Ham is going to be under the spotlight throughout his first season.

After all, the Lakers were a massive disappointment in 2021-22 as they finished with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs and play-in tournament despite a roster littered with future Hall of Famers.

Russell Westbrook struggled to adjust to a new role on a new team, LeBron James dealt with injury concerns at times and Davis played just 40 games because of his own injury problems. Head coach Frank Vogel was fired at the end of the season, and Los Angeles hired Ham.

"He is in a position where he should be," James said of Ham. "We're delighted, happy and fortunate for him to be on our side. He is going to have a long career as a head coach."

Ham was a longtime assistant for the Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks prior to landing the spot as the head coach in Los Angeles and counts a championship as part of the staff for the 2020-21 Bucks on his resume.

The Purple and Gold didn't get off to the start they were looking for with a 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's opener, and things don't get much easier with a showdown against the L.A. Clippers on Thursday.

James (31 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists), Davis (27 points, six rebounds and four steals) and Westbrook (19 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting) all stuffed the stat sheet, so there is at least something to build on for the Lakers as they look to put last season's failures in the rearview mirror and build a new identity under a new head coach.

To hear Davis tell it, the team has no shortage of motivation to do just that for Ham.