It has been less than 24 hours since the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Luke Walton would be their next head coach, sparking excitement amongst the fan base.
One of the main reasons for optimism is the fact that the Lakers finally have a young coach with a tremendous amount of upside, and one that grasps the modern playing style of the NBA.
Coming over from the Golden State Warriors, many expected Walton to implement a similar playing style in Los Angeles, molding the offense around the skill sets of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle. With the possibility of Phil Jackson stepping in next summer looming, many wondered if Walton would have a desire to run the triangle offense, the system he ran for years as a Lakers player.
The Orange County Register’s Bill Oram was on the scene today at Warriors practice, and Walton shut down the idea when asked about it.
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
It is refreshing to have a coach that understands the type of talent he has and is willing to run an offense that suits them, as opposed to forcing a particular playing style and running heavy isolation action.
Walton added that he likes the young talent that the Lakers have on the roster, but they need to add veterans to not only produce wins, but help the youngsters continue to develop.
Walton checked all the boxes on the Lakers’ wish list, and he’s quickly doing the same thing with their fans.
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