Scotty Pippen Jr. appears to have directed a subtle jab at Darvin Ham regarding his tenure with the Lakers.

Scotty Pippen Jr. appears to have directed a subtle jab at Darvin Ham regarding his tenure with the Lakers.

Scotty Pippen Jr. mentioned wanting to send a message to a Bucks coach about his defense, leading many fans to speculate that he was targeting Darvin Ham.

Scotty Pippen Jr. spoke after his impressive performance in the Grizzlies’ 122-99 upset victory over the Bucks. He mentioned that his strong defensive effort was driven by an unnamed Bucks coach who had doubted his defensive skills, and he aimed to prove them wrong. Many fans speculated that he was referring to Darvin Ham, his former head coach with the Lakers.

“I definitely took that matchup personally. I grew up watching Dame [Lillard] a lot. One of the coaches over there [Bucks] didn’t believe in me, so I had to show him that I could play defense…”

Scotty Pippen Jr. was a two-way player for the Lakers during the 2022-23 NBA season but struggled to make an impression on Darvin Ham, leading to limited minutes and time primarily in the G-League. He was waived by the Lakers the following year, likely due to Ham’s critiques of his performance.

Despite this setback, Pippen Jr. rebounded by signing a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in January, where he impressed the coaching staff. His strong showing in the NBA Summer League helped him secure a standard four-year contract with the Grizzlies. Pippen Jr. has elevated his game significantly, starting the season with averages of 10.8 points, 6.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. In his recent game, he scored 16 points, contributing three rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Darvin Ham has faced criticism from Lakers fans and players alike, especially after being replaced by first-time head coach JJ Redick, who has received praise for his early performance. Recent comments from Rui Hachimura highlighted frustrations with Ham, and reports indicated that Lakers players disliked playing under his coaching style.

Despite the criticism, Ham defends his tenure, claiming he improved the team’s performance compared to its state under Frank Vogel. Doc Rivers, who brought Ham onto the Bucks as an assistant, also criticized the Lakers for firing him after leading them to a Western Conference Finals.

While Ham’s record of 90-74 over two seasons shows some improvement, it’s worth noting that the team struggled with the presence of Russell Westbrook, a poor fit. Under Ham, the Lakers only managed to barely exceed .500 and make the play-in tournament. His best results appeared to come when he wasn’t heavily micromanaging the team; once he started making frequent changes to lineups and rotations, the team suffered.

Scotty Pippen Jr. was a two-way player for the Lakers during the 2022-23 NBA season but struggled to make an impression on Darvin Ham, leading to limited minutes and time primarily in the G-League. He was waived by the Lakers the following year, likely due to Ham’s critiques of his performance.

Despite this setback, Pippen Jr. rebounded by signing a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in January, where he impressed the coaching staff. His strong showing in the NBA Summer League helped him secure a standard four-year contract with the Grizzlies. Pippen Jr. has elevated his game significantly, starting the season with averages of 10.8 points, 6.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. In his recent game, he scored 16 points, contributing three rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Darvin Ham has faced criticism from Lakers fans and players alike, especially after being replaced by first-time head coach JJ Redick, who has received praise for his early performance. Recent comments from Rui Hachimura highlighted frustrations with Ham, and reports indicated that Lakers players disliked playing under his coaching style.

Despite the criticism, Ham defends his tenure, claiming he improved the team’s performance compared to its state under Frank Vogel. Doc Rivers, who brought Ham onto the Bucks as an assistant, also criticized the Lakers for firing him after leading them to a Western Conference Finals.

While Ham’s record of 90-74 over two seasons shows some improvement, it’s worth noting that the team struggled with the presence of Russell Westbrook, a poor fit. Under Ham, the Lakers only managed to barely exceed .500 and make the play-in tournament. His best results appeared to come when he wasn’t heavily micromanaging the team; once he started making frequent changes to lineups and rotations, the team suffered.