Darvin Ham Reveals The Lakers Didn't Want To Use All Of Their Adjustments For Nikola Jokic In Game 1

Nikola Jokic was the star of the show when the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in Game 1 of their first-round series. The Lakers had no answer for Jokic, but head coach Darvin Ham revealed after the game that they still have some adjustments they can throw at the Serb, as per The Athletic's Jovan Buha.

"Darvin Ham says the Lakers have a couple more adjustments they’re going to throw at Nikola Jokic. He added the Lakers didn’t want to use all of their adjustments in Game 1."

That is generally seen as a logical approach, as you don't want to show your hand right away. In this particular context, though, those comments weren't ideal. 

That victory in Game 1 meant the Nuggets had beaten the Lakers nine times in a row. Jokic was a big reason why they won on Saturday, as he recorded 32 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.

The Nuggets did not get off to a great start in that contest, though, and the Lakers even led by 12 points at one stage in the first half. If Ham really had some adjustments to throw at Jokic, then that was the time to do it. There is no guarantee the Lakers will be in that position in a game in Denver again in this series and they had to capitalize on that.

There is no adjustment you can make against a player like Jokic that will completely nullify him. You could, though, slow him down a bit for a while before he finds a way to counter it and that might have been enough to win Game 1.

The Lakers could have maybe stolen home-court advantage in the series, and the team would have gotten a huge psychological boost by finally ending that losing streak. Instead, they are now down 1-0.

Lakers Fans Blasted Darvin Ham

Lakers fans were not happy when they saw what Ham had to say, to say the least. They went off on him.

One said Ham must be saving the adjustments for next season.