In 2016, former Los Angeles Lakers player Luke Walton returned to the Lakeshow as their new head coach. When he accepted the job, Walton knew that he will be getting his feet wet under the pressure of the bright lights of Hollywood.
It seems like the top brass of the Lakers is impressed in what Walton has done with the team. In an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, Lakers team owner Jeanie Buss expressed her praises towards the young coach.
Jeanie Buss: "Coach Luke Walton has done a great job getting everyone to buy into what his vision is, and so now we have an identity" via @RichEisenShow #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) August 15, 2018
With Walton at the helm, the Lakers finished the 2016-17 season with a lowly 26-56 record. Last season, the Lakeshow showed glimpses of their potential by putting in 10 more wins in their record.
Despite the fact that his two-year stint with the team has not translated to a postseason appearance, Buss knows that Walton has successfully instilled a culture and a vision, two very important motivational factors for a very young team.
There were rumors last year that Walton hasn't been much of a locker room presence for the team. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, LaVar Ball was obviously frustrated with Walton's control of the players.
“You can see they're not playing for Luke no more,”
“Luke doesn't have control of the team no more. They don't want to play for him.”
LaVar has always had issues with his son Lonzo's playing minutes with the Lakers. It could be one of the main reasons why the former instigated issues about Walton's influence on the team.
Well, LaVar seems like he's just from the outside looking in. Buss is certainly speaking for the whole Lakers management when she said that Walton has indeed put his stamp onto his young players. With the best player in LeBron James putting on the purple and gold threads this season, who knows what Walton can achieve with a revamped roster.
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