Lakers: Luke Walton Throws Out First Pitch at Dodgers Game

Lakers head coach Luke Walton tossed the first pitch at the Dodgers game on Saturday, getting shown some love by LA

To say that many fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are looking at new head coach Luke Walton as a sort of savior for the franchise would be an understatement. Not only was he already beloved from his time with the Lakers as a player, but after his run as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, there are big things expected of him.

More than just big expectations, though, the reception for Walton upon his return to LA (this time with a suit and clipboard) has been overwhelmingly positive because such good things are expected to result from his arrival.

So when the new Lakers head coach tossed out the first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, it was a warm reception from the fans that greeted him:

He might want to stick to coaching the Lakers—that fastball doesn’t look like it’s getting much velocity on it at all. 

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To be objective to a certain degree, it’s not really surprising that Lakers fans and the people in Los Angeles would be so quick to welcome Walton back. Not only is he a former player, but you could draw a face on a 2×4 and put it on the Lakers bench and it might get cheered after weathering the Byron Scott era.

That being said, there truly are numerous reasons to expect big things from Luke Walton with the Lakers. The style he learned with the Warriors seems ideal for many of the pieces of the Lakers young core while also bringing along a winning culture and mentality as well.

Granted, there’s going to be a learning curve in all of this as these players are still coming into their own in the NBA in many cases. When it’s all said and done, it feels like Walton will be the right man for the Lakers.