Lakers coach Darvin Ham thinks NBA’s in-season tournament is ‘going to stick’

LOS ANGELES — The way Lakers coach Darvin Ham sees it, the NBA’s in-season tournament will be part of the league’s schedule for the long run.

“I definitely think it’s going to stick,” Ham said ahead of Tuesday’s tournament group play finale against the Utah Jazz. “I just think it’s going to grow and different elements will be added to it to enhance it even more. And then we’ll see where it goes. I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

Ham said he’s noticed a different intensity level in the tournament games leading into Tuesday. The added incentive of winning the first NBA Cup – the tournament’s trophy – has created a higher level of competition not usually seen this early in the regular season.

So have the monetary incentives for players on the teams that win the tournament and or at least advance into the quarterfinals. There’s also a financial prize pool for coaches, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“These regular-season games have ramifications attached to them now which makes it even more fun,” Ham said. “It’s not a run-of-the-mill regular-season game. They’re well aware. That purse is pretty attractive.”

Does Ham believe the tournament will develop enough prestige on its own that down the line winning the NBA Cup will be more important than winning the $500,000 each player receives for winning the tournament?

“Obviously, the Cup will never supplant the Larry O’Brien [Trophy],” Ham said. “Puts a whole lot of intensity within the game and these guys are aware of that. … The games have been at such a [higher] level than they normally would. This time [of the year] you start feeling that wall kind of kick in a little, starting now: 14, 15, 20 games, 25 games in, the freshness, the newness of the season starts to wear off a little bit and you start feeling the little knick-knack injuries.

“But this in-season tourney has added some spiciness to what’d normally be a run-of-the-mill regular-season game.”

Jazz coach Will Hardy hadn’t really thought about the pros and cons of the tournament and believes the differences won’t be most felt until the knockout rounds.

​​Eight teams will advance from group play into the knockout rounds: the six group winners and two “wild cards” – the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group. The Lakers and Jazz are in West Group A.

The knockout rounds will feature single-elimination games in the quarterfinals (Dec. 4-5), semifinals (Dec. 7) and championship (Dec. 9). The quarterfinals will be held in the better-seeded teams’ home markets while the semifinals and championship will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I mean the courts themselves and all that creates a different environment because it does signal that the games are different,” Hardy said. “I haven’t felt in the group play games anything that’s been necessarily super unique. We’re probably going to feel most of that when you get to the elimination part of this tournament.

“Up until now, there hasn’t been anything that’s stood out as really good or really bad. I’d probably be able to give you a more thoughtful answer if we’re able to get to the elimination part. Because I think that would be really unique. When you’re playing your first group play game, you want to win but losing the game feels like losing a regular-season game. You don’t feel a compounding effect in that moment because this is all so new.”