Entering the new NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to regain their status as a top team in the league. Last year, they were bounced out of the first round of the postseason, in part due to crucial injuries that struck them at the wrong time.
But with co-stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo still in the mix, Milwaukee feels good about their chances. The team added a familiar face to their coaching staff this offseason, former assistant coach Darvin Ham.
Ham spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers before he was let go. He previously worked on the Milwaukee staff under former head coach Mike Budenholzer, helping the Bucks win the NBA title in 2021.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has a lot of respect for Ham and it was a big reason why he decided to bring him into the mix. Rivers even defended Ham, saying that the Lakers’ decision to fire him “makes no sense”.
“It’s been great. 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. 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.”
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 10: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts to an officials call during the first half of a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Fiserv Forum on October 10, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rivers had some choice words for the Lakers offseason.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Ham had an up-and-down tenure with Los Angeles, leading them to the Western Conference Finals in his first year. However, his strange rotations and lack of preparation were his downfall, and the Lakers decided to move on.
Now, back with the Bucks, Ham is focused on helping this team get back to the mountaintop. He knows that if he does a good job here, he could see another head coaching job sooner rather than later.
Milwaukee will have to go through the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and others in the Eastern Conference this season. It won’t be easy, but the Bucks believe that they can come out on top this year.
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