The Los Angeles Lakers have been dubbed as one of the winners of free agency as they managed to retain their key free agents while adding impact players on the margins.
There’s no question that the Lakers roster has gotten deeper and the team looks better positioned to challenge the Western Conference. It’s a night-and-day difference compared to last summer when Los Angeles had more questions about who they should sign and how they would fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While the roster itself is more or less set, the Lakers have work to do to replace members on Darvin Ham’s staff. Ham lost several assistants to the Phoenix Suns and their new head coach Frank Vogel as the latter lured away the people that were with him during the 2020 title run.
Rebuilding Ham’s staff appears to be the organization’s next focus as they’ve brought former NBA small forward DeMarre Carroll on board, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
The Lakers are hiring DeMarre Carroll as an asst coach on Darvin Ham's staff, sources told ESPN. Carroll worked for Mike Budenholzer in MIL last season. Ham, Carroll and Bud were all in Atlanta together when ATL went 60-22 w/ Carroll as the starting SF and was No. 1 in the East
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 3, 2023
Carroll then took to Instagram to confirm the signing and express his gratitude:
Like Vogel, Ham has placed an emphasis on bringing in individuals who he’s worked with before, and Carroll is no different as the two go way back. During his playing days, Carroll was a rugged defender who could knock down an outside shot, so his experience should benefit some of the wing players on the roster like Max Christie, Cam Reddish and even someone like Taurean Prince.
The added benefit of hiring a former player like Carroll as that he’s able to work more closely with the players on the court either in warm ups or practice. Developing players of all experience levels is something that Phil Handy excels in, and Carroll very much fits that mold of assistant coach.
It’s an intriguing hire for the purple and gold and perhaps the first a few as they’ve got more spots that need filling.
Austin Reaves to run more of the offense in 2023-24 season
One player who’s benefitted greatly from the Lakers’ coaching staff is Austin Reaves, who made a leap from his rookie to sophomore year. Reaves emerged as the team’s third-best player in the postseason and his performances have reportedly earned him a bigger offensive role in the 2023-24 season.
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