Lakers Media Day: 3 Takeaways From Monday’s Interviews

1. The Lakers’  New Coaching Staff is Already Paying Dividends

Luke Walton has yet to (technically) head coach a single career game in the NBA, but his personable demeanor and flexible coaching style is already rubbing off on the Lakers’ young core. D’Angelo Russell has been quick to praise his new leader and has alluded multiple times to the contrast between Walton’s approachability and Byron Scott’s no nonsense way of business.

But Russell is far from the only young player appreciative of their new locker room boss.

Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. both mentioned the positive energy surrounding Walton and the new coaching staff, while Julius Randle discussed the differences he’s already noticed from last season.

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According to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times, he said, “The energy, the vibe is different… Everybody is just enjoying each other. The game is starting to become fun again.”

Walton himself also talked about the joyous energy around this group of teammates. “This is beautiful,” he said. “This is why we wanted to go away for training camp. Start the bonding, start the togetherness, start the brotherhood.”

While a happy heart can only get you so far in the NBA, Walton has certainly been creating optimism on the hardwood as well, often participating in drills with his teammates and spicing up practices with games and competitions.

We’ve got a month until Walton makes his official coaching debut, but he’s certainly gotten his tenure off to a good start.