Lakers Rumors: Rob Pelinka 'Big Believer' in Darvin Ham Based on Past Performance

Amid speculation about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Darvin Ham does have the support of at least one very important person in the front office.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 20:30 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is a "big believer" in Ham and gives him "huge credit" for navigating the team's struggles last season and the success they had in the in-season tournament earlier this season.

The vibes around Ham seem to have turned, particularly in the wake of Los Angeles' 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Per The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha, there is a "deepening disconnect" between Ham and the Lakers locker room stemming from "the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments" he's been making recently that have led to "a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster."

Ham has been tinkering with the starting five in an attempt to find a group that works. Austin Reaves was moved to the bench for D'Angelo Russell after the first nine games of the season.

After Russell seemed to hit a wall in early December, Ham replaced him in the starting five with Jarred Vanderbilt. That experiment lasted five games before Reaves was back in the starting group against the Heat.

All of these issues mean that more is being asked of LeBron James, who has played at least 38 minutes five times since Dec. 1 after only doing it three times in the first five weeks of the season.

It's perhaps not a coincidence that James had one of his worst games with the Lakers against the Heat. He scored 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting (0-of-6 from three-point range) and didn't attempt a free throw for the first time since Feb. 10, 2019.

The Lakers are 3-9 since defeating the Indiana Pacers to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament championship. Their 17-18 record overall has them sitting 10th in the Western Conference standings.

Ham owns a 60-57 record since taking over as head coach in June 2022. He led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season.