The Los Angeles Lakers fired their head coach last week. Would the Wizards give him room to grow?
Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers fired their head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons. During his tenure, Ham led the Lakers to two consecutive playoff appearances and a pretty impressive run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 after starting the postseason in the Play-In Tournament. His total record was 90-74.
With Ham now available, he could be someone the Washington Wizards look at for their current head coach vacancy. Sure, Brian Keefe may end up getting the job (which I’m not a fan of), but they seem like they will interview some outsiders at some point.
Here are some reasons why the Wizards should consider hiring Ham
- He did coach an overachieving team: Sure, the Lakers are a stronger team than the Wizards, but he still led them to a 2023 conference finals appearance in what was an overachieving season given the changing hierarchy in the NBA.
- Ham is part of the Mike Budenholzer coaching tree and part of two different teams: Yes, Budenholzer is currently unemployed as well, but Ham was an assistant on the Hawks during their peak in 2014-15 and the Bucks for their 2020-21 championship season before coming to the Lakers.
- Ham is a former Wizards player: Yes, Ham was once wearing Wizards teal and gold, playing for Washington in the 1997-98 season. He made 71 appearances, averaging 2.0 points per game.
I think the jury is still out on whether Ham will be a great coach in the long term. But the Wizards have an opportunity for a head coach to grow with the team. Would you mind seeing Ham on the Wizards’ sideline this fall? Let us know in the comments below.