Lakers' Darvin Ham: LeBron, AD, LAL 'Absolutely' Close to Being Championship Team

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is bullish about his team's NBA title hopes following a strong offseason.

Ham told ESPN's Leonard Solms the Lakers are "absolutely" close to being a championship squad.

"We have leadership like LeBron James and Anthony Davis; some of the talent we were able to bring back in Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell," he said. "Then, you think about the guys we added in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes. I think the sky is the limit for what we will be able to do."

Ham emphasized the Lakers "added a lot of depth, a lot of guys that have skill, size and athleticism" over the summer.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in June the team's improvement over the second half of the season and Western Conference Finals run represented a "proof of concept." Rather than repeat past mistakes — such as turning over the roster or chasing a third star to pair with James and Davis — the front office was content to run it back while making improvements around the margins.

And for the first time since L.A. acquired Davis, expectations around the franchise are somewhat realistic. The Lakers have the seventh-best championship odds (+1500) at FanDuel.

It's easy to foresee the bottom once again falling out for Ham and his team.

Injuries will be a concern for James and Davis given how much action they've missed in recent years. They were out for 53 combined games in 2022-23. A poorly timed absence for either could prove devastating.

Vincent was a valuable contributor for the Miami Heat in the 2023 playoffs but has shot better than 34 percent from beyond the arc in just one of his first four years. Likewise, Hachimura's hot shooting in the postseason contrasted sharply with his 34.7 percent career clip from long range.

Russell eventually got played out of the first unit entirely in the conference finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The more optimistic view of the Lakers is the one that aligns with Ham's comments. They retained their best players and improved their supporting cast to hopefully place less of the burden on James and Davis. That's a winning formula.

Maybe it won't be enough in the end, but you can't blame Pelinka for his general approach or Ham for his belief in the roster.

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