By James Brown
Players aren't the only ones who put work during the offseason. Coaches and assistants have to come up with new drills and plans to improve their team as well. Phil Handy, assistant coach, has been on the news lately as he recently said that Kyrie Irving is the best offensive player to ever played the game. This put more spice regarding a possible trade for the all-star player, but for now, he will work with the Lakers' current roster.
The Lakers let go Frank Vogel last season after missing the playoffs for the second time in the past four years. To fill that void, the front office decided to hire Darvin Ham as their new head coach. They also brought in many other new coaches, but only Phil Handy remained from the previous staff. Now he has decided to share via Lakers Twitter to the world the four fundamental drills that every basketball player should put into practice to get better at the game.
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During the four minute video, Handy shows how players should start by doing double cross-overs while practicing a “defensive stance.” The reason for this first drill is to show the players to keep their balance without looking at their feet. The coach then adds a couple of variations to the same drill in order to cover some basics of the game. After the end of the video, the players should have better ball control and better balance in different stances.
In the end, this video might not really be incorporated into the training the Lakers will be doing in the following months. But it's always good to see experts, such as Handy, sharing some insights into the game, so that future generations keep growing and getting better. Now, all we have to do is hope his coaching can improve the Lakers roster for the following season, and the team can reach the playoffs once again.
As said above, Handy is the only coach that remains with the team after Frank Vogel's dismissal. The 50-year-old coach has many years of experience, not only as a coach but also as a player. Although Handy never played in the NBA, he played for seven teams overseas. As an NBA coach, however, he has 10 plus years of experience, as he's been part of the Cavaliers, the Raptors and now the Lakers.
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