Luke Walton spoke about taking Lakers head coaching job prior to Warriors practice on Saturday
The Los Angeles Lakers organization and fanbase are buzzing after the hiring of former Lakers forward Luke Walton to be the new head coach of this young team. It’s a move that’s inspiring hope within the franchise and throughout the fans as a collective whole already, even while he’s still finishing his job as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Playoffs.
While the Warriors are gearing up to start their second round series on Sunday with practice in Oakland on Saturday afternoon, though, Walton came out to talk to the press. There, the new head coach of the Lakers made his first comments since the hire was made.
One of the first things that Walton was asked about when speaking to the press was what he thought about the Lakers roster. The new coach responded by praising the young talent already in place, but also expressing the need to fill in the roster with quality veterans to help the team win and to help those young players grow and develop:
After getting the Cliff Notes version of his thoughts on the roster, he talked about the interview and the process of being hired. Walton admitted that he thought the interview with Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers front office went well and that the brass laid out a “comprehensive vision” for the future of the organization, but didn’t expect to be hired as quickly as he was. He added that he was a bit nervous about breaking the news to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr:
Luke Walton confirmed that he met with Mitch Kuochak and Jim
— Bill Oram (@billoram) April 30, 2016
Buss on Thursday in Oakland.
Walton said Lakers execs laid out a comprehensive vision for the organization, including players they want to chase in FA
— Bill Oram (@billoram) April 30, 2016
Luke Walton: "I was a little bit nervous about making the call (to Kerr) because we have such a good thing going here."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) April 30, 2016
One of the last things that Walton had to say abut his new job with the Lakers was regarding the system that he plans to run as he was asked about running the Triangle offense. Walton said that he doesn’t believe that the Triangle would be a good fit for the roster in LA right now and that he would imagine using something similar to the Golden State offense with emphasis on movement and ball-movement:
Luke: "I don't think the triangles the most appropriate offense for the players that they have down there." Says styles will be more GSW
— Bill Oram (@billoram) April 30, 2016
Luke will run offense more like Golden State, with spacing and motion, he says.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) April 30, 2016
Though Walton’s time with the press wasn’t extensive—though that will surely come once Golden State’s season is over—there’s a lot of promise in what he said. Fans have to like that the Lakers were impressed enough by him to make a quick decision and have to like what he’s saying about the offense.
Next: 5 Reasons Luke Walton Was Right Choice as Head Coach
Perhaps the best part, though, is to hear that the Lakers front office as an extensive plan for the future. Given reports out of last summer’s free agency meetings, that sounds like a drastic improvement and like even more cause for optimism than just hiring Luke Walton.