Should Ham take over for Rivers after this season?
The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2025-26 season with questions surrounding the roster, and after a rough stretch through the middle of the year, they haven't done much to answer them.
But heading into the All-Star break, the Bucks are playing their best basketball of the season.
Milwaukee took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-93 on Thursday night with assistant coach Darvin Ham filling in on the sideline after Doc Rivers was away attending a funeral.
The win gave the Bucks a 5-1 record over their last six games, and Ham had a lot to say about how the team got to this point after a disappointing first half of the season.
Ham Speaks on the Team's Turnaround
"We hunkered down and we got back to the drawing board," Ham said after the win. "The work we put in over the last two weeks... has been detailed, relentless, no excuses... You saw the fruition of it."
It was a total team effort against the defending champions, with seven Bucks players finishing in double figures even though the team was missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been out with a calf injury.
Ousmane Dieng, who was traded to Milwaukee at the deadline after spending time in Oklahoma City, led the way with 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in a revenge game against his former team.
Bobby Portis chipped in 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, while AJ Green added 17 points and Kevin Porter Jr. continued his strong play with 12 points, seven assists, and three steals.
The Bucks also got a boost from newcomer Cam Thomas, who scored 12 points a night after going off for 34 in a win over Orlando.
Thomas, who is averaging 15.2 points per game this season, was signed by Milwaukee after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets following the trade deadline, and he's already showing the kind of scoring punch this team has needed.
What the Recent Run Means for Milwaukee
At 23-30 and sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks still have a lot of ground to make up if they want to reach the Play-In Tournament.
But this recent stretch has given the team reason to believe they can compete, even without their franchise player.
Ryan Rollins, who has been the team's leading scorer this season at 16.9 points per game along with 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists, missed the game with right foot plantar fasciitis but should have time to heal over the break.
Getting him back healthy alongside Thomas and Porter Jr. gives Milwaukee a backcourt that can hold its own.
Does This Change Anything for Ham?
As for Ham, it was just one game as the fill-in, and Doc Rivers is expected to be back on the bench when the Bucks return on February 20 against the New Orleans Pelicans. But the way the team responded under his watch was hard to ignore.
Ham helped Milwaukee win a championship as an assistant in 2021 and went on to coach the Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Finals, so he knows how to lead a group.
If the Bucks continue to struggle at any point in the second half and the coaching seat gets hot, Ham's name would be the first one to come up as a potential replacement.
For now though, the focus stays on the court, and Ham's words after the game sum up where the team's head is at.
The Bucks hunkered down, got back to work, and it paid off in a big way against the best team in the league.