Looking at the win-loss column, Los Angeles Lakers fans will definitely be disappointed with their squad's 0-2 start to the new season. However, despite their heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, there's still a silver lining to the Lakers' sluggish start.

This is exactly what head coach Darvin Ham pointed out in his post-game press conference. The first-year Lakers shot-caller was admittedly disappointed with the loss, but he was still proud of the effort his team put in. However, what he clearly wasn't happy about was all the last-second fouls the Lakers gave up (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

“I thought we fouled way too much in the first and third quarters,” Ham said. “… Right when we get to 100% disciplined, one of those hands comes down and guys (are) in the act of shooting a tough shot. We gotta force teams to make those tough shots and not bail them out with fouls.”

Be that as it may, Ham still heaped praise on his team for their hard work on the evening. Ham was particularly proud of the fact that the Lakers stood their ground on the defensive end against a highly-talented Clippers side:

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“Having said all that, I'm super duper proud of our guys,” Ham continued. “They competed. I think I think we've seen improvement from Game 1 and Game 2, especially on the defensive end.”

Ham acknowledged that the loss was disappointing, but he is also adamant that the Lakers are “trending in the right direction.”

They will get another chance to mark their first win of the season on Sunday when they take on Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Another loss, however, likely won't put coach Ham in such an optimistic mood.