Sacramento Kings veteran small forward Trevor Ariza says Luke Walton is “straightforward” and “very honest” as a head coach.

Ariza knows Walton pretty well. The two were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers back in the day and won a championship together. Ariza says the Kings players are going to gravitate toward Walton.

“Straightforward, very honest,” Ariza told Jason Jones of The Athletic. “It’s easy to get his word across because you know he’s not coming with ill intention. It’s all positive, for the betterment of the team.

“Just the way he saw the game and played the game. It’s not one of, ‘Oh, I have to get mine.’ It’s more of a team, collective.”

Trevor Ariza, who split time with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards last season, signed a one-year deal with the Kings worth $15 million. Sacramento hasn't made the playoffs since 2006. That's also the last year the Kings had a winning record.

The future, though, is bright in Sacramento, something we haven't been able to say in a long time.

It's up to Luke Walton to get the best out of De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III moving forward. Ariza is confident his pal will be able to do it.