5 Reasons Luke Walton Should Be Lakers’ Next Head Coach
October 5, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton (left) instructs forward
(20) and guard
(34, right) during the first half in a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
1. Getting Through to the Future
At just 35 years old and having only been out of the NBA since the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, Walton has a distinct advantage over many coaches in the league and many other potential Lakers coaching options in that he has a closeness to his playing days in the league that others simply don’t.
In some coaching scenarios, how brief of a time it’s been since the head coach played in the NBA is simply irrelevant. However, that’s not the case with the Lakers moving forward. This is a team that is looking to build a core for the future of the organization by developing the young talent on the roster like Russell, Randle, Clarkson, and (hopefully) a top-three pick in the 2016 NBA Draft that will be inserted into the fold for next season. As those guys try to gain footing in the league and try to develop properly as professionals, Walton’s youth as a head coach would prove to be tremendously valuable.
Not only would he be a more relatable personality to the players in that he could guide them down a road he was on not that long ago, but he’s also less likely to be stuck in his ways in the vein of Byron Scott or even other head coaching candidates like Tom Thibodeau. That flexibility in correlation with the unpredictable nature of developing young talent would be the best thing to set the Lakers up nicely moving beyond the Kobe Bryant era.