After consecutive seasons as the doormat of the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers and their proud fanbase are ready to begin a new era under head coach Luke Walton. With Kobe Bryant gone, Walton's leadership will be critical for a roster filled with youthful talent.

Walton was the lead assistant for the Golden State Warriors as they won the title in 2015 and made in back to the Finals this past season, ultimately falling in seven games to Cleveland.

The demand for Walton's services shot up not only because he was a key member of such a successful team, but also because of the job he did when Steve Kerr was recovering from back surgery. The Dubs went 39-4 under Walton's watch on their way to a record-breaking 73 wins.

Now, Walton will try to return the franchise he spent most of his playing career with back to prominence. However, he knows it's a process.

In a recent interview on Shaquille O'Neal‘s The Big Podcast With Shaq, Walton discussed his expectations for the Lakers as he kicks off his head coaching career in L.A.:

The expectations for me aren’t gonna be wins and losses right now, at least. The expectations are gonna be the way we play […] It’s about having an edge when you play. It’s about competing every single time on offense and defense. It’s about playing the right way […] It’s about setting the foundation of the future, because we don’t plan on this being a one-year thing.

At this point, Walton is focused on getting his guys to play the right way, rather than stressing on wins and losses. By improving their effort and overall performance on a nightly basis, the wins will eventually follow. It takes time, though.

The pieces are in place, and given everything we've seen from Walton so far, he appears to be the right man for the perilous job of restoring greatness to one of the most successful organizations in the league.

Walton's excited to tackle that immense challenge, but as we've seen many times in the NBA, teams often become impatient and fire coaches before they can establish their systems in entirety.

Hopefully, the Lakers give Luke enough time to build the foundation necessary to succeed.

(h/t to Lakers Nation)

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