The Los Angeles Lakers rebuilt their coaching staff this offseason, hiring Darvin Ham as head coach and bringing on multiple new assistants. What remained from Frank Vogel’s staff, however, was the familiar face of Phil Handy.
Handy and Ham built a strong relationship after both began their coaching careers on the Lakers together. Handy said the two remained in touch even after working together with their families growing close together.
After speculation that Handy may leave the Lakers to pursue a head coaching gig, it was reported last month he instead signed an extension to stay in L.A. Keeping Handy as an assistant enables him to continue with the strong relationships he’s built with stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The long-tenured assistant is known for his knack of developing players into better ball handlers. He shared some of those drills he uses for ball handling on the Lakers’ Twitter:
Summertime work. Class is in session 📝@94feetofgame shares four foundational ball handling drills to work into your game. pic.twitter.com/hBKoOGhCxw
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 15, 2022
Handy breaks down four fairly basic drills that any player can incorporate into their workout. The drills focus on applying the proper technique to build good balance.
Handy begins by doing double cross-overs while in what he calls a “defensive stance.” The whole idea is to keep your balance and never look down. He also always includes a reset dribble as a way to keep himself from leaning forward.
The drill progresses by adding more combinations to them. Right after the double cross-over, Handy incorporates a through-the-leg dribble. These first two drills are more of a warmup. In the final two, Handy starts with a front and back dribble while in the same stance. Then he adds a behind-the-back right after the front and back dribble.
While it may be difficult to apply a combination of those drills, Handy does so, adding it’s a “great workout.”
Carmelo Anthony to release four-part docuseries on career
After a productive season with the Lakers, Carmelo Anthony has yet to find a new team. The 19-year veteran is still a free agent with training camp beginning in September.
Anthony doesn’t seem ready to call it quits on his career, but he is reflecting on it, with the release of a docuseries coming soon. His team Creative 7 collaborated with Westbrook Studios and Falkon Entertainment to put the series together.
No release date or where it can be found to watch has been announced yet.
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