"Darvin Ham your bias is on the Jumbotron": Lakers fans nitpick on HC after massive win for refusal to play 2023 playoffs lineup  

The LA Lakers hovering around the .500 mark five games into the second half of the 2023-24 NBA season has fans questioning Darvin Ham's choices. Amid their 23-23 run, fans have criticized Ham for not choosing to play the lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.

While Russell, Reaves, LeBron and "AD" have retained their starting positions, Vanderbilt has not. When Vanderbilt got inserted in the starting five, Ham benched Russell and Reaves or started only one of the two guards with the defensive-minded forward.

The theme has continued in his mid-game rotation, where this five-man-lineup is yet to see significant playing time. Taurean Prince has been Ham's favored pick to start instead of Vanderbilt with that quartet. That decision has seemed questionable considering Prince's defensive deficiencies compared to Vanderbilt, who is a better rebounder, one-on-defender and screen navigator.

Vanderbilt also compensates for the lack of point-of-attack presence in the lineup on defense. During the Lakers' mammoth 141-132 win against the Chicago Bulls, Ham was seemingly more comfortable not playing the playoffs lineup together, despite their 11-0 run at the end of the second quarter, stretching LA's lead to 16 points.

Taurean Prince, who started the game, had another 30-minute night, while Jarred Vanderbilt played 27 minutes but closed only the second quarter with that lineup with two minutes left. Ironically, Vanderbilt replaced Prince in the substitution.

Lakers fans went off at Darvin Ham for not using that lineup again, as things started to look bleak late in the game when the Bulls cut the 20+ point deficit to 10. One fan called out Ham:

"I' sorry, since I know not many are willing to say it…y’all can depend on me. TP starting/playing over Vando is an embarrassment of epic proportions. This is human error in its HIGHEST FORM. Darvin Ham, your bias is on the Jumbotron."

More reactions soon followed:

Darvin Ham reveals reason behind snubbing Lakers' 2023 starting lineup

Darvin Ham broke the silence for the first time about not playing the Lakers' 2023 NBA playoffs starting lineup before Thursday's game against the Bulls. Ham listed multiple reasons behind his choices. According to a tweet by The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Ham pointed out Taurean Prince's 3-point shooting and durability as reasons to stary him over Jarred Vanderbilt, who made a late-season debut.

Vanderbilt missed the first 20 games of the season because of a heel injury. He took time to find his rhythm and burst, making him a pivotal piece of the Lakers' 2023 conference finals run. Meanwhile, Prince impressed with his 3-point shooting, knocking down 39.1% of his shots from deep, the second-best rate behind LeBron James (39.2%).

However, Prince has been streaky. His lack of rebounding and average one-on-one defensive presence has hindered the Lakers, leading to the discourse over his inclusion in the lineup.

Darvin Ham now has a decent sample size to prove that the 2023 playoffs lineup could be the key to the Lakers improving their record significantly over the next few weeks. It will be interesting to see whether he gives that lineup enough time on the floor moving forward.