Luke Walton to Lakers: Takeaways from Coach's Introductory Press Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers held an introductory press conference for new head coach Luke Walton on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after he was an assistant on the sidelines as the Golden State Warriors lost Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  

Walton, a first-time head coach, called the opportunity with L.A. his “dream job” in the presser, via NBA TV:

The Lakers drafted Walton in the second round in 2003, and he played there until the 2011-12 campaign. He won two rings with the Purple and Gold by beating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and the Boston Celtics in 2010, and he reached the Finals two additional times (2004 against the Detroit Pistons and 2008 against the Celtics).

Walton brings more than just his experience as a player to Los Angeles. He was an assistant for the Warriors over the last two years and served as the interim coach for Golden State in 2015-16 while head coach Steve Kerr was recovering from back surgery. The Warriors started the year 24-0 under Walton and were a sparkling 39-4 before Kerr returned.

Arash Markazi of ESPN.com suggested Walton will try to emulate some of what made Golden State successful: “Walton has mentioned playing music and creating a culture where players are happy. He's bringing the Kerr's Warriors blueprint over.”

Walton echoed those sentiments Tuesday, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com: “Our players are going to like coming into practice every day. We’re going to play a brand of basketball (fans like to watch).”

There is nothing wrong with trying to imitate the Warriors after they set the NBA record with 73 wins this past regular season and won the title in 2014-15. Stephen Curry also took home the last two MVP trophies playing inside Golden State’s system.

Walton did say, “I don’t think I’ll get over that in this lifetime” on Tuesday when asked about the Warriors’ Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com.

While Walton will surely use that feeling as motivation as he looks to eventually lead the Lakers to that level, he also pointed out the lessons he learned from Kerr will be invaluable moving forward, via NBA TV:

Walton became accustomed to success in Golden State, but the Lakers haven’t made the playoffs since the 2012-13 season and are fresh off an abysmal 17-65 campaign. Despite the recent struggles, Trudell said Walton was optimistic about the immediate future as the team transitions from the Kobe Bryant era:

Walton added, “The future is bright. We’re going to play an uptempo game; we’re going to bring in another top pick; we have [money] to spend,” per Trudell.  

The Lakers already have a young foundation in place with D’Angelo Russell (20 years old), Jordan Clarkson (24 years old) and Julius Randle (21 years old). Russell was second-team All-Rookie this season, Clarkson was first-team All-Rookie in 2014-15 and Randle averaged a double-double in 2015-16 (11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game) as a post presence.

Clarkson averaged 15.5 points per game this season as Los Angeles’ second-leading scorer behind Bryant, but he is a restricted free agent this offseason.

If the Lakers keep Clarkson, add the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s draft and sign an impact free agent or two to complement that threesome, they have the opportunity to compete for a playoff spot in the near future. Once free agency begins, Los Angeles could consider going after Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, Harrison Barnes, Mike Conley, Andre Drummond and Dirk Nowitzki, among others.

Walton summarized his overall outlook when discussing the rebuilding timetable, per Holmes: “There is work to be done, but, to me, that’s exciting. That’s why you do this. The timetable? Who knows?”

Lakers fans will get a better sense of that timetable based on who the team adds this offseason.