Not too far departed from their stint as player and coach, Luke Walton now holds the title his mentor Phil Jackson once did — head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now president of the New York Knicks, Jackson has been a pool of knowledge for his former player as he embarks in a career venture that is bound to test him in every way, even more so with a young roster at hand.
As it turns out, Walton has consulted with Jackson on several aspects of the coaching world.
“I’ve definitely reached out to him about different things,” Walton told Marc Berman of the New York Post prior to the Knicks edging the Lakers 117-112 on Sunday night.
On what topic?
“On how to coach,’’ Walton said, only half-facetiously. “When I call him now, instead of random check-ins, it’s about specific things. I try to get his opinion on how he thinks I should handle something, on getting better at certain things, just picking his brain. So far he’s batting 100 percent.”
Jackson was one of the first executives to reach out to Walton after the regular season, after posting a stellar 39-4 record as an interim head coach during the first 43 games of the season in a historic season with the Golden State Warriors.
“Obviously you consider any job,” Walton said. “The Knicks are one of the big-time franchises in this league. Where I was at the time, still being in the playoffs with the Warriors, there was never any detailed: ‘Let’s have a conversation and talk about it.’ Obviously as a 36-year-old coach, if anyone shows interest, you entertain it.
“I’d love to go to a dinner with Phil,” Walton added. “I’d change my whole schedule for it.”
Now at the helm of the Lakers' roster, Walton has closely followed Jackson's advice which has his young team in a better position than last season, despite the injuries they've faced early in the year.
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