Lakers Rumors: Luke Walton Will Be on Hot Seat If LA Has Extended Losing Streak
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton reportedly doesn't have much job security.
On Monday, Sam Amick of The Athletic cited coaching sources who said Walton is "the most likely to feel his seat grow warm if there's an extended Lakers losing streak." He pointed to the lack of extended history between Walton and team president Magic Johnson as a driving force behind the win-now pressure.
The pressure for Walton to win now after the Lakers added LeBron James to a young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, among others, was clear following a 3-5 start.
In early November, Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reported Johnson "admonished" Walton during a meeting following the slow start, which "elevated an already acute awareness within the Lakers coaching staff that there are intense and immediate pressures on Walton to deliver the franchise a winner in short order."
Although Los Angeles is 2-4 in its last six games, it has played better since that start and sits fourth in the Western Conference at 19-14.
Amick praised Walton's ability to walk "that tricky line" between keeping James—an all-time great—on the floor to maximize his team's chances of winning games and resting him with the most important part of the season and playoffs to come.
The four-time MVP is averaging 27.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.3 steals while playing what would be a career-low 35.1 minutes per game. Maintaining that pace figures to be critical considering James has played in eight straight NBA Finals and will turn 34 on Sunday.
Despite the reported pressure on Walton, he has successfully balanced the minutes for his team's best player and has the Lakers well on their way to making the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
