Even as an assistant coach, Darvin Ham is catching strays following embarrassing Bucks loss to Grizzlies

To say that Darvin Ham's stint as a head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers didn't go well would be an understatement. He lasted just two seasons in Los Angeles before being fired and replaced by J.J. Redick, a former player who had never coached before.

Following his firing, Ham took on an assistant role with the Milwaukee Bucks on Doc Rivers' staff. Judging by Milwaukee's lackluster 1-4 start to the season, that hasn't gone well, either.

Despite the fact that he's no longer a head coach, Ham is still catching strays. Lakers fans are enjoying his slow start to the season with the Bucks, and now, even one player on the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that most recently embarrassed Milwaukee, is piling on.

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Scotty Pippen Jr. continues to show Darvin Ham made crucial mistake with Lakers

One of the great stories to come out of Memphis this season has been the play of Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen. The 23-year-old latched on with the Grizzlies toward the end of last season and has been a crucial piece for Memphis thus far, averaging 9.8 points and 7.4 assists in 24 minutes per game while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range entering Thursday's game against Ham's Bucks, serving as the backup point guard.

In that game on Thursday, Pippen had 16 points in 27 minutes in a 122-99 Grizzlies win. He played a key role in his team's win over Ham's Bucks. Why that's a big deal to Pippen in particular was expressed in his postgame interview.

Pippen took this game personally, wanting to do well against Damian Lillard, a player he grew up watching, but most importantly, wanting to get back at a coach who didn't believe in him. That coach he's referring to was, of course, Darvin Ham.

Pippen began his NBA career with the Lakers in the 2022-23 campaign. He was on a two-way contract that entire year, primarily playing in the G-League for the South Bay Lakers. He appeared in six sporadic NBA games over the course of the season, racking up 32 total minutes. He only really played in garbage time and failed to secure a rotation spot in Los Angeles.

With that in mind and a rotation spot secured in Memphis, Pippen wanted to prove to Ham that he made a mistake not believing in him. He did just that with the game that he had in his team's blowout win. With Gabe Vincent struggling as much as he has thus far as the Lakers' backup point guard, it's safe to say that the entire organization wishes Ham believed in Pippen, who continues to excel in a Grizzlies uniform.