Why is luke walton on the lakers

It may not be the real Bill Walton, but we can imagine this being the Hall of Famer's reaction to his son becoming a full-time head coach:. Luke Walton is the new Lakers coach! The dark side awaits!

Gerald Bourguet of Hoops Habit thinks Walton is going to need time to develop, but there are pieces in place to build a winning culture:. Walton was successful in his stint with Golden State, though the talent on the roster certainly helped. He joined the Lakers as a well-made hire, taking over a young roster that he managed to sell on playing defense better than most coaches do in such situations. But Walton soon began coaching to the whims of the Johnson-Rob Pelinka front office, which was much more focused on landing stars than developing from within.

This was perhaps best symbolized not long after Johnson took over, when he traded former No. Randle is an improving player, while Lopez played a key role on the best team in the league. Meanwhile, Walton was handcuffed with young guys who needed to improve alongside a notoriously impatient and aging superstar, and older players whose playing style a. How exactly was Walton supposed to succeed?

Even after James preached patience in the offseason—which turned out to be mostly talk—Johnson gave Walton a dressing down early in the season after a slow start. Walton was in no control of the injuries to James, or Lonzo Ball or Brandon Ingram, nor was he responsible for the public spectacle that was the Anthony Davis saga.

Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. Walton joined the Lakers with fanfare in after his successful tenure alongside coach Steve Kerr with the powerhouse Warriors. Los Angeles were in fourth place in the Western Conference after beating Golden State last Christmas, but James strained his groin during the game.

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