Darvin Hamm reveals Los Angeles Lakers game plan ahead of Game 1 against Denver Nuggets
After the Los Angeles Lakers finished their first day of preparation for the upcoming season, Darvin Hamm was interviewed and detailed the team’s focus and goals for their first round matchup. For those who may not know, LeBron James and the Lakers will battle Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets for the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
Some fans may be aware that both teams have a recent rivalry and history. After all, the Nuggets beat the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and won an NBA championship last year. As this could be the biggest threat to the Lakers in their potential deep postseason run, one must wonder how Darwin Hamm feels about his team.
Darvin Hamm stresses the importance of discipline for the Los Angeles Lakers
While the core of the Lakers remains the same, the team has made some minor changes like bringing in Gabe Vincent, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince and others to ensure they fare better against the defending NBA champions. Hamm revealed that all players on the Lakers roster will be put through intense coaching and testing to prepare them to face the Denver Nuggets.
“The first day of preparation is great. Got a chance to get into the theater, have some really good dialogue, put the game plan together, get out here on the court, touch on some different situations but just being consistently disciplined…the energy is great…”
Hamm continued, “The more conversations the better, really identify the issues that caused us to not come out on top in those different situations but again we feel solid in our plan and we have a plan of attack… list them, trends, find variations, combinations, them Try to get a feel for the rhythm of the crime.”
As the Lakers head coach pointed out, the team has already begun reviewing footage as well as developing and understanding a solid plan of attack. They will undoubtedly have to if they want to beat the defending NBA champions. Darwin also went on to reveal areas of the game that the Lakers should prioritize in order to overcome the Nuggets.
What areas do the Lakers need to prioritize in order to beat the Denver Nuggets?
Since the Lakers have now lost 8 straight games to the Nuggets, one could argue that Hamm’s positive feelings come from a sense of bias. After all, it must be disappointing for a team if their own coach does not show confidence in them.
Darvin Hamm also pointed out that transition defense and rebounding are two areas where the Lakers need to improve greatly if they want to beat the Nuggets. After all, stopping Jamaal Murray in transition or rebounding out the likes of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon can be a tough task.
Regardless, fans wonder if the Lakers can put the knowledge they’ve gained about themselves and their opponents to good use.