Most of the questions about Luke Walton‘s ability to successfully coach the Los Angeles Lakers lie with his inexperience and the lack of talent on the roster. His maturity has never been a concern, and neither has his work ethic.
In order to succeed as a player in the NBA, Walton had to put in extra hours in order to compete with much faster, athletic competitors. That same drive has followed him into the coaching world.
It was a chaotic spring for Luke. The University of Arizona product accepted the head job with the Lakers early on in the Warriors‘ playoff run. He maintained his lead assistant role through Game 7 of the NBA Finals, where Golden State suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After a long, grueling season with the Dubs that included a stint as the team's interim head coach for the first 43 games, it would've been understandable if Walton took a few days off being jumping into things with the Lakers.
Instead, the exact opposite happened.
From Time Warner Cable Sportsnet anchor Chris McGee:
“Luke has been in that office or the gym every single day. I think he's had one day off since game 7.
“The day after game 7, he… drove from Norcal to SoCal, the morning after game 7, because you don't sleep after you lose game 7 like that. They're up the next morning, they're driving back to L.A., and the day after that he's being introduced at the press conference, and then he's off to work, man.”
The one day off? According to McGee, it was the day that his daughter was born. Other than that, he's been putting in the work day in and day out.
That's dedication, but it also makes sense.
With the draft, summer league, and free agency rapidly approaching, Walton didn't have much time to fulfill the normal duties of a head coach in the offseason. It's also never too soon to establish a culture when you're the new sheriff in town, especially with a sullen franchise that has one of the most glamorous histories in the NBA.
Time will tell if Walton was the right man for the job, but it's clear that he's doing everything in his power to reward the Lakers front office for their faith in his coaching abilities.
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