3 head coach options the Lakers could replace Darvin Ham with ASAP
By Lior Lampert
2. Phil Handy
Phil Handy has been a Lakers assistant coach since 2019-20. In that span, he has earned the trust of the locker room and many within the organization, including LeBron James. Handy and James’ relationship predates their time with the Lakers: The two spent three seasons together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015-2018 before James elected to sign with the Lakers. After a one-year stint with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19, the two reunited in Los Angeles.
Being a long-time assistant coach alongside James and having experience in player development are two factors that make Handy an appealing candidate for the job if/when the Lakers move on from Ham. Not to mention, it’d save the Lakers the hassle of having to hire someone from outside of the organization.
While Handy may not have the coaching pedigree that other candidates may have, his relationship with James and ability to help players hone their skills makes him a legitimate option for the Lakers to potentially be their next head coach.
Not often do we see teams make an outside full-time hiring decision during the season, giving Handy the inside track to the Lakers’ head coaching job should it become available, but the Atlanta Hawks did it last season when they signed Quin Snyder to be their head coach after they decided to fire Nate McMillan during the season.