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On the first day of training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers finally revealed everybody who will be working alongside Darvin Ham and coaching LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook (maybe) for the 2022-23 season.
Neither Ham nor Rob Pelinka addressed the coaching staff at Media Day. At his introductory press conference, Ham — who was given autonomy by the organization to handpick his staff, a luxury they did not afford Frank Vogel — said he was looking to build a bench akin to the one he came from with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Where I come for the last nine years (on Budenholzer’s staff), we did everything,” he said. “We did development, we did scouting…It was a team. It wasn’t no coordinators on either side of the ball. We all pitched in on all aspects of our team’s basketball. I’m looking to build that similar type of staff.”
Here's who will be working under the rookie head coach (Rasheed Wallace will not be involved).
Chris Jent
Like Ham, Jent has spent nearly two decades as an assistant for various NBA clubs. He served on the Atlanta Hawks staff from 2017-22, during which he overlapped with Ham for two years. Jent spent time as an assistant for the Sacramento Kings (2013-15), Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-2011) — where he coached LeBron for four seasons — Orlando Magic (2004-05), and Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04). He also served two stints as an assistant for Ohio State, so he and LeBron can bond over Buckeyes football. As a player, Jent won an NBA championship with the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.
Jordan Ott
Ott, known for his player-development chops, spent the past seven years with the Brooklyn Nets. Before that, he worked with Ham as a video coordinator in Atlanta. Ott coached the Lakers during the Las Vegas portion of Summer League in July.
Phil Handy
Handy, Dru Anthrop, and Jon Pastorek are the three holdovers from Frank Vogel's staff.
Handy, a popular development guru, has formed deep bonds with players across the league, including LeBron and Kyrie Irving. He's won championships in Cleveland and with the Toronto Raptors. Handy and Ham have been close since they won a title as teammates for the Florida Sharks of the United States Basketball League in 1996.
Pretty cool: Darvin Ham and Lakers assistant Phil Handy won a title playing together with the Florida Sharks in 1996 https://t.co/TOLMvwxR8H pic.twitter.com/3Wztg013dO
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) July 7, 2022
Schuyler Rimmer
Rimmer's inclusion had been speculated since June. He spent the past four seasons with Ham in Milwaukee, and was the Hawks' video coordinator in 2017-18.
J.D. Dubois
Dubois had been an assistant for the Detroit Pistons since 2018-19. He spent the 2017-18 season as a player-development specialist in Toronto.
Zach Peterson
Peterson had been a player development coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder since 2019. He was a colleague of Ham in 2018-19 as the video coordinator in Milwaukee and during his four-year stint in the same position with the Hawks.
Dru Anthrop
Anthrop has been with the Lakers since 2019-20. He began as Head Video Coordinator and a player development coach before transitioning to the coaching staff in 2021-22. He previously worked for the Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.
Jon Pastorek
Pastorek has served as a player development coach and advanced scout for the Lakers for the past five years.
