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It was just one game, but Nikola Jokic has already stumped coach Darvin Ham and the LA Lakers. Ham admitted before Game 2 that he doesn't have a clue on how to stop "The Joker," much like every coach in the league. However, Lakers fans didn't like his answer and cannot believe that he said it in public.
At his pregame press conference, reporters asked Ham about possible adjustments in guarding Jokic. He had nothing but praise for the two-time NBA MVP, and it's just about being ready for whatever's coming their way.
"It's like, 'Sh*t, I don't know what to do.' You just gotta go out there and try to be as disciplined as possible, aggressive and consistent, and have a next-play mentality, man.
"You can't get disappointed, you can't get discouraged. Kid is a hell of a generational-type player. You just gotta keep swinging, bobbing, weaving and swinging," Ham said. [6:59 - 7:20]
LA Lakers fans cannot believe what Darvin Ham said in the pregame press conference. Nikola Jokic is a nightmare matchup for any team in the NBA, but fans don't want to hear a coach say that he doesn't know what to do against the opponent's best player.
"Bro said go hoop fellas," one fan wrote.
"Darvin is a horrible coach. I'm sorry," another fan claimed.
"Welp, we're cooked," a fan commented.
Other LA Lakers fans understood what Darvin Ham meant, which was Nikola Jokic is so good that you can't really do anything about it. Ham and 28 other coaches tried to stop "The Joker" in the past few years, but nothing has worked.
"This is not an indictment on Darvin. Nobody knows what to do," a fan remarked.
"Man, defending Jokic is a nightmare, even Darvin Ham's scratching his head! You just gotta be tough, disciplined, and keep at it," one fan commented.
"I mean when you're the best player in the world, it's hard to defend against them," another fan wrote.
LA Lakers have something in store for Nikola Jokic
Darvin Ham had a different tone after the LA Lakers' 113-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1. Ham said in the postgame press conference that the Lakers have more things to throw at Nikola Jokic in hopes of trying to stop him.
"Just continuously fighting the fight, and, yeah, if we have to go to something else adjustment wise, we do have a couple of more things that we can throw at them. We're comfortable where we're at," Ham said. [H/T Silver Screen and Roll]
Ham also said that the Lakers will be back to their normal rotation for Game 2 after trying something different last Saturday. The starters for the remain the same – D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
