With Darvin Ham set to lead the Los Angeles Lakers into the 2022-23 season and beyond, the next challenge will be to build out a strong coaching staff to support him.
Ham is going to bring similar schemes from his previous stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, primarily a “four-out, one-in offense” to maximize spacing and a defense focused on shutting down the lane. In order to help him bring his vision to life, he has reportedly tapped Hawks assistant coach Chris Jent to become his lead assistant.
Jent worked with Ham when they were both assistants under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta, and he has also worked with LeBron James during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With his lead assistant coach seemingly finalized, Ham needs to build out the rest of his staff and it appears he is eyeing Brooklyn Nets assistant Jordan Ott, via Brad Turner of L.A. Times:
Sources: Jordan Ott, an assistant coach with Nets, is a candidate to be an assistant coach for Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. The two have a history together when Ott was a video coordinator with Hawks when Ham was an assistant coach on the staff.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 19, 2022
Ott spent three seasons with the Hawks as a video coordinator before eventually finding his way to the Nets. Following the 2015-16 season, Ott found his way to the Nets where he has been an assistant ever since.
There is not much out there when it comes to Ott, but it does speak to Ham’s preference for working with familiar faces. Ott would be just one more piece to the puzzle, but with Quinton Crawford recently leaving for the Dallas Mavericks, Ham will need to fill his spot as well. Perhaps Ott could fulfill Crawford’s role, or Ham continues to review candidates to bring into the fold.
Darvin Ham explains why he does not feel pressure in first head coaching job
As a first-time head coach, Ham has every reason to feel heavy pressure as the Lakers look to move past the horrible 2021-22 season they had. Los Angeles prides itself as a winning organization, so all eyes will be on Ham as he tries to turn things around.
However, despite what is at stake, Ham revealed he does not feel any added pressure because of his previous experiences growing up in Saginaw, Michigan.
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