Although former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was fired after just two years, he's more than qualified to continue as an assistant. After rumors of the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors trying to poach him, Ham is actually heading to Milwaukee.
Ham will be Doc Rivers' top assistant coach, via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Darvin Ham is joining the Milwaukee Bucks as the top assistant coach to Doc Rivers, sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted. “Ham returns to the franchise after spending two years as the Lakers head coach. He had been highly sought-after among teams this spring.
Ham was an assistant for Mike Budenholzer on the Bucks from 2018-22, helping the franchise win its second-ever title in 2021. Will the Texas Tech alum help Rivers reach the same heights?
The Bucks have as good of a chance as anyone if they stay healthy
Milwaukee was the unluckiest team in the league this season, losing both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard during its first-round playoff bout with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, who were mostly healthy, took care of the Bucks in six games, riding the momentum into an Eastern Conference Finals run, where many projected Milwaukee to be before the season.
Ham's season ended around the same time, as his Lakers got ousted by the Denver Nuggets in five games during the first round. In his case, though, the team was healthy but overmatched.
With Ham now being second in command to Rivers, he'll be able to operate without the pressure of leading the NBA's most iconic franchise. It appeared that the 50-year-old was in over his head at times, with rumors that Los Angeles players questioned his preparation and in-game strategy.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves even made a comment Monday that some interpreted as a dig at Ham, via Legion Hoops.
“I don't know when they're hiring a coach…But hopefully we get somebody that comes to work every single day the way that we do ready to go try to win a championship,” Reaves said.
Reaves will never publicly call Ham out by name, but this is a passive-aggressive way of suggesting that the new coach will replace someone who didn't have the same level of commitment as the players.
Unfortunately, Rivers has been similarly unpopular since joining the Bucks in January. In May, Antetokounmpo told EuroLeague coach Ergin Ataman that he'd love to play for him.
Again, it's intriguing to see an active NBA star going out of his way to shower an overseas coach with praise, rather than publicly supporting his current leader.
With that being said, a common saying in sports is “winning cures all.” If Rivers and Ham can use their decades of basketball experience to lead Milwaukee to another ring, any questions about their coaching abilities will go out the window. It's unlikely that the Bucks will lose both of their superstars again during the Playoffs next year, so expect a rebound campaign from the club. If they don't get it together soon, Antetokounmpo could run out of patience.
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