Lakers’ Darvin Ham: Everything to know about new head coach
When the Los Angeles Lakers employed a brand new head coach on Friday, they did not go for the most important identify on the market. Nor did they decide a person with a ton of head teaching expertise.
However the man they did rent — Darvin Ham — is an individual who isn’t solely extremely conversant in the sport however one who can see issues from the angle of each a participant and a coach.
L.A. handled its head coach search and hiring course of prefer it was household enterprise solely, with few figuring out which path the franchise would head.
Ham wasn’t a reputation extensively anticipated to get the place at first, however after digging into his résumé, he has loads of accolades that qualify him for the job.
Right here is all the pieces to know concerning the new Lakers head coach.
Faculty days
Ham performed school basketball at Texas Tech from 1993-96, averaging 8.1 factors, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 22.9 minutes per recreation. He shot 59.7% from the sphere and 49.8% from the free-throw line.
He tied for essentially the most video games performed within the SWAC in the course of the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, with 30 and 32 video games, respectively. He completed within the prime 5 within the SWAC in subject aim share for 3 straight seasons. His highest subject aim share (61.8%) got here in his freshman season.
Maybe most famously, Ham broke a backboard whereas dunking in a 1996 NCAA Match recreation towards North Carolina.
On to the NBA
Ham was not chosen within the NBA draft, however he signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets in October 1996.
That was the beginning of a prolonged profession through which he performed eight seasons for six completely different groups (Denver, Indiana, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Detroit). As a professional, Ham averaged 2.7 factors, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 12.4 minutes per recreation. He shot 51.8% from the sphere, 49.4% from the free-throw line, and 25.0% from 3.
He was a member of the 2004 Detroit Pistons crew that gained the NBA title and performed in two different NBA Finals, in addition to three Japanese Convention finals.
The assistant coach
Ham’s teaching profession began in 2014 with the Atlanta Hawks, the place he was an assistant coach for 5 seasons. He then spent 4 seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, serving to information the Bucks to the championship in 2021. His head teaching document (interim) is 18-8, 5-5 within the playoffs.
The correct alternative?
Chris Broussard believes that Ham was the very best candidate in play for the Lakers, however would not assume L.A. will look a lot completely different than it did final season — except one thing is completed with Russell Westbrook.
“If you find yourself having to maintain Russ as a result of you’ll be able to’t commerce him, they’ve a plan C to the place if it is not working early, simply launch him.”
Colin Cowherd additionally believes the Lakers will look so much like they did final season, and he would not assume the hiring will actually transfer the needle. His response to the hiring of Ham is, “good luck.”
There will likely be so much for the Lakers and Ham to determine, not solely as a result of Westbrook scenario however as a result of they solely have three gamers below contract for subsequent season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker. (Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn even have participant choices that they’re anticipated to select up).
So, Ham may very well be greeted with the identical dynamic of final season, attempting to make Westbrook, James, and Davis “work” on the ground collectively.
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