Darvin Ham didn't go jobless that long. After he was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers in early May, he was re-hired by the Milwaukee Bucks last June. As with his previous tenure here, his job description in Milwaukee is that of an assistant coach.
Ham was personally hired by current Bucks head coach Doc Rivers , who thinks that aside from his coaching acumen, Darvin's familiarity with the system and people in Milwaukee makes him a valuable addition to his coaching staff.
"It's been great," said Rivers. "First of all, he's been here even longer than me. He knows things that I didn't know. He has relationships with the players. Another guy that can trust. Trust is so important for players. And more importantly, he deserves it."
Doc says Ham's firing made no sense
Ham was one of Mike Budenholzer's trusted assistants. He had worked with Coach Bud since the 2013-14 season when they were with the Atlanta Hawks. He followed him to Milwaukee and was his assistant from 2018-22. Darvin was even credited as one of the important voices on the Bucks' 2020-21 championship team.
He left the team after the 2021-22 season to accept the head coaching position of the Lakers. During his tenure there, Ham posted a mediocre 90-74 (.549) record, and the Lakers made the playoffs both years via the play-in tournament. And although they made the 2023 Western Conference Finals and won the inaugural In-season Tournament last campaign, he was given the pink slip last summer, which Rivers thinks was wrong.
"I'm not going to get into the whole thing that happened there, but he took a team to a Western Finals, and then the following year, he won the in-season tournament, which they say we should have a lot of value on, and then they release him. It literally makes no sense, but it happens. It happens to all of us. It's part of what we do. But Darvin Ham's a coach, he should be on the sidelines, and I wanted him next to me," added Doc.
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Ham knows the Bucks better than Rivers
Doc needs all the help he can get in fine-tuning the Bucks. After he took over as head coach last January 26th, Milwaukee sputtered to a 17-19 record after a 30-13 start under Adrian Griffin. They finished with a 49-33 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers.
The Bucks added veterans Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright during the offseason. But with the championship core of Giannis, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, and Bobby Portis still in town, Ham's previous experience with the players will come in handy for Doc.
With a full offseason to work with the team, big things are expected from the Bucks this season, their second in the Giannis-Dame era. Rivers has vowed to do everything in his power to win a chip for the Bucks. With a key coaching addition in Ham, we'll see if he can deliver
Related: Patrick Beverley likens Doc Rivers to Phil Jackson amid slander: "They got to put more respect on my coach's name"
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