The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly hired Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham to be their new head coach.
It is a very encouraging hire, especially given his strong communication skills and command of the strategic aspect of NBA basketball.
But there is another encouraging aspect of this hire — according to reports, Ham will be given the freedom to choose who will be on his staff.
This was reportedly a sticking point in 2019, the last time L.A. went coach shopping. Back then, Ty Lue and Monty Williams, who now coach the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, respectively, said no to the Lakers partly because senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis wanted to dictate who they could hire to be their assistants.
That will apparently not be the case with Ham.
Via Los Angeles Times:
“According to sources with knowledge of the process, Ham will be given a large amount of autonomy, including the ability to choose his own coaching staff,” wrote Dan Woike and Broderick Turner. “He’s expected to meet with current Lakers staff members next week.”
In addition, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ham, who will become a first-time head coach, is planning on hiring at least one assistant who has been a head coach before.
Ham made a strong impression on Lakers in several areas, including his championship pedigree, his commanding presence, history of coaching stars and toughness. Ham will start assembling a staff expected to include head coaching experience. https://t.co/8hCVatbraw
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 28, 2022
The Lakers have a great deal of work to do if they are to return to the elite level of the NBA next season. But the first domino has fallen, and it is an important one that can at least somewhat restore their credibility.
[mm-video type=video id=01g3cgat297sst2b3dwj playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3cgat297sst2b3dwj/01g3cgat297sst2b3dwj-59d911cb73b12a11510b436438ac68b3.jpg]
[listicle id=82599]