The Darvin Ham era is officially underway at the Los Angeles Lakers. After an extensive search, the Lakers hired Ham to coach LeBron James and crew. He had his first press conference yesterday, and he has high expectations from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. But a prominent NBA analyst believes that those expectations might be too high, especially for Russ and Davis.

Ham started his tenure with a bang, and his press conference was a hit among the fans. He said that his main focus is gonna be on the defensive end. He also said that everyone on the roster has to sacrifice. Let it be LeBron or Davis, or Russ.

When asked about Russ, Ham had high praise for the star. He said that Russ is one of the best the league has ever seen and he believes that he still has a lot to offer. He also challenged Russ to become a monster on the defensive end, an area where he has never excelled at.

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Rich Eisen talked about the Lakers running it back with the same core. He was surprised to hear Ham’s comments about defense. Ham had stated that Russ may have to do things off the ball. Elsen said, “He kept on saying over and over again, that it’s about defense. And that Russ will be asked to sacrifice, LeBron is gonna asked to sacrifice, Anthony Davis is gonna be asked to sacrifice.”

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“My question is, what’s Anthony Davis gonna sacrifice? You know what he needs to sacrifice? Whatever needs to be sacrificed to keep him healthy? What does that mean? A chicken or something?”

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“I don’t know what that meant? And certainly, in terms of defense, you know what he said about the defense, Russ may have to do things without the ball… Not his forte. Playing defense, not his forte.”

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Despite all the rumors, Ham has said that he has Russ in his plans. But the role he suggested for him, may not be ideal. Russ has never been a great defender or an off-ball player. He needs the ball in his hand to have an impact on the game. It will be very interesting to see the Lakers next season and how their stars will fit into their new system.