Luke Walton: The Man with many coaching identities!
Before proceeding, please take time to dissect this quote from Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on his take on Luke Walton:
“I used to tease him when he was playing here about he’s destined to be a much better coach than a player,” Bryant said. “I used to rib him all the time. He didn’t want to hear it because he didn’t have the coaching bug yet, but I could see it in him. It was there. It was just a matter of time.
“He’s extremely smart. He always saw the game in combinations and sequences. I kind of just chuckle a little bit at it, because I see he’s thinking in threes. Most coaches think in combinations of twos, but he’s thinking in threes. This pass leads to that pass is going to lead to that one. And I remember sitting in the locker room and going over this stuff with him.”
(Photo Credit: https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2016/11/10/la-lakers-buoyed-by-return-of-coach-luke-walton.html)
Luke Walton, the son of the legendary, Bill Walton! The San Diego native! The Arizona standout! A NBA Champion as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers (the team he is currently coaching). The prodigy of the great Phil Jackson! The head assistant for Steve Kerr’s, Golden State Warriors! Could we be looking at the next great coach in the NBA? Sure, sounds a little off at the moment, however, let’s take a look at his leap as a now head coach.
As Luke spent his time on the bench as a Laker player, learning and picking Phil Jackson’s and Tex Winter’s brains about X’s and O’s, he would soon get his love and passion for wanting to coach. As the head assistant coach for the Warriors, Luke Walton would then pick the brain of Steve Kerr on his time as a player under Phil and Pop; what it was like playing for the two of them and the biggest lessons he got from them about coaching. He would only enhance his coaching principles that Phil and Tex shaped as he was a player for the Lakers. Now, here we have one man in Luke Walton, that has been a beneficiary of NBA genetics from his father, however, the chance of getting a little insight from two of the most all-best coaches to ever coach in the NBA, while piggy backing off a coach in Kerr that has been the beneficiary of success at the early parts of his career.
Meet the wonderful group of men that all have some form of input and development within Luke’s young coaching career:
Luke Walton’s Coaching Tree in Three's:
Phil Jackson, (.704 Win Percentage) we all know about the infamous triangle offense adapted by the Zen Master, as he had the great Tex Winter on his bench leading the Bulls (Pippen, Harper, Rodman, Kukoc, and Jordan) and Lakers (Kobe, Shaq, Gasol, and Fisher) dynaties. Phil had them all under his grasp as he coached them and won a total of 11 rings (6 with the Bulls and 5 with the Lakers) as he had teams confused with stopping the potent triangle offense; which ran off read and react floor spacing and off-ball cuts.
Luke Walton’s benefit: The Triangle, Mental Zen, playing alongside Kobe Bryant
Steve Kerr, (.808 Win Percentage) some can say that he was the beneficiary of a team that was already built to be a force, when he became the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Winners of the last 2 NBA Finals, and 3 in all, this Warriors team has been taking the league by storm. Yet, the Warriors newly refund offensive approach has swept across the league as opposing teams are trying to keep up with the ball movement, floor spacing, team first, and deadly three-point shooting with a unguardable core of (Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, Iggy, Livingston, Barnes, Bogut, Barbosa, and now Cousins)
Luke Walton’s benefit: Spacing, Player Movement and Learning from Kerr about Popovich
Gregg Popovich, (.689 Win Percentage) who could forget the man that was the face of the Spurs dynasties as he showcased a dynamic mind on the offensive end himself. Luke, himself didn’t have the opportunity to sit under Pop and learn the game from him, however, Kerr did, which was how Luke was able to get lessons pertaining to Popovich. Ball movement, passing, unselfishness, teamwork, with players such as (Robinson, Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili). What most glamoured us about Pop was his way to still win key games when some of his key players were either out via injury or due to rest. Different faces, same Pop strategy.
Luke Walton’s benefit: Preparation, Selflessness and Strategy
All three coaches are masters of: game planning, executing, and making critical in game adjustments. As a student of life, we can only want the best teachers to provide knowledge so we can also emulate them. Luke Walton, has just begun his journey as a coach and he has done some great things, while a part of the Warriors. Did we forget that it was Luke Walton that was the acting head coach during the year the Warriors finished 73-9? He finished an appealing 39-4, record. The team actually went 34-5, when Steve Kerr returned. Throughout his tenure as acting coach he set record after records. He did better with that talented team than Kerr when he came back from his spinal injury. Having four all-stars makes it easy, however, the coach still has to put them in the best position to succeed. They probably could have won the ring with Walton being the acting head coach.
As we look at the Six Degrees of Separation in comparison to this coaching tree and how Luke Walton is impacted by it. As the coach of the Lakers, with the young talent he has had the first couple of years, they still played the game Walton wanted them to play: run and gun, spread, ball movement, and attack. While he hasn't had much success, he has had the ability to coach the team in the facet he would like. To be linked to the three of them (Phil, Kerr and Pop) in some form and fashion in regards to his learning of the NBA game is a privilege. In retrospect, the one thing that all of them had, that Luke Walton just got, was a superstar. The Lakers have improved dramatically since the 17-65 record under Byron Scott. Luke Walton, went 26-56 his first year as the Lakers head coach. He went 35-47 his second year as the Lakers head coach. In his third year, he now has a more depth, youth, veterans and the best player in the game. Watch how he will work come the season in efforts of the Lakers making the postseason for the first time since the 2012 - 2013 NBA season. We saw a lot of different types of sets, plays, and scores in the preseason. We are already getting a feel of the run and gun, spacing, and ball movement type of game the Lakers are seeking to play. What’s most impressive is the fact that he has been able to put the fact that they can still score without having the ball in their hands, is key. Energy will be their biggest strong suit as one particular player won't have to focus on ball-handling duties, while getting tired from having to run the offense all game and putting teammates in a prime position to score. With ball-dominant players like: LeBron, Lance, Lonzo, Ingram, and Rondo, the Lakers pose a problem that a lot of teams have: multiple playmakers.
Season in comparison to where they stacked up against the rest of the NBA during the 2017-2018 NBA season:
PTS/G: 108.1 (11th of 30)
PaceP/G: 100.3 (2nd of 30), while the average a total of
FastbreakP/G: 17.5 PTS/G (2nd of 30)
PossesionsP/G: 104.6 (2nd of 30)
Men lie, women lie, numbers don't! Media keeps asking and mentioning: “who will score?” “who will shoot?” “how will they fit in?” “who is going to be the three point marksman?” “there isn’t enough balls for everybody to dribble” Even with limited three point shooting and a for sure dominant all-star, not to mention superstar, Luke Walton had the Lakers in the top half of offensive rankings. Defense is where they will really need to work on. LeBron James, went there because he is a basketball connoisseur and he pays attention to stats, players, the entire game of basketball. Most importantly he is selfless. The Lakeshow is back! LeBron, is just that good. However, Luke Walton has been prepared to handle a great player like LeBron since day one, as his father was a great, he played with greats coached and learned from greats.
News flash, every championship team wins because the next man up can step up and wear his role to perfection. Think about all the dynasties from the old to the new, look how deep and unselfish they were on the court. Looking at the Lakers team (2017-2018 season) they had a total of 9 players to average double figures in points per game (tops in the league) the Celtics finished second with a total of 8. Add LeBron’s production to that team and what do you get?
Statistical contributions are from: https://www.basketball-reference.com
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