Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has made his rounds as an assistant coach throughout the years and has built plenty of relationships with players throughout each stop, notably winning a championship as part of the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season.
When he landed his first head coaching gig with the Lakers, there were positive comments made from players and other head coaches around the league about how deserving Ham was for the job, gaining the title of being a player’s coach.
His connections came in handy this summer when bringing in reinforcements, one of those being Taurean Prince, who spent time with Ham when he was with the Atlanta Hawks. Prince was the first signing of free agency for L.A., bringing in shooting and size on the wing. At Media Day, he was asked about his relationship with Ham.
“Yes, [Darvin] Ham was my assistant coach, my first two years in the league, was big on my player development along with Taylor [Jenkins] with Memphis right now,” Prince said. “They helped me get to the foundation I needed to stay in the league, a lot of people get here, but it’s pretty tough to stay here. I don’t think young guys realize that, so Ham was a big part of that and I’m glad that I was able to sustain that relationship and keep a good rapport with him throughout my years and everything comes full circle now. So, I’m glad to have him as my head coach.”
Prince wasn’t the only player to join the team due to Ham, as Christian Wood cited that the head coach was consistently keeping in touch with him throughout free agency. Heading into his second season as coach, players have shown the willingness to play for Ham due to his ability to connect with players on a personal level.
Ham had a playing career as well and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Having that experience as a player and now as a coach has shown to go a long way to connecting and getting the best out of his players.
Now, Ham has renewed expectations with some slight tweaks to the roster in hopes of getting over the hump and getting the Lakers their 18th championship. But, it seems that pressure isn’t too much for the head coach, especially when he has familiar faces to lean on like Prince.
Ham pushing Jalen Hood-Schifino to be more vocal as point guard
One of the more shocking names making a great first impression is rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino. Ham has seen serious production thus far in training camp but wants Hood-Schifino to be more vocal as he is a point guard.
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