Luke Walton Begins Rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers Into NBA Contenders


A new era has begun for the Los Angeles Lakers. According to the Los Angeles Times, Luke Walton has started rebuilding the team. Now that the Golden State Warriors have lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, the former 6-foot, 8-inch forward can now begin his job as the new head coach of the Lakers. He is being tasked with taking a young team and making them championship contenders.

Luke Walton wisely won over a lot of Los Angeles Lakers fans by noting his history with the storied franchise. The former Arizona Wildcats star was drafted by the Lakers. Walton also played close to a decade with the team. During his time in Los Angeles, Walton won NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010.

In addition to his history with the Los Angeles Lakers, much of the fanbase was already won over because of his recent accomplishments as a coach. Over the past two seasons, Walton has played an important part of the success of the Golden State Warriors as the associate head coach. Walton proved that he could guide the team while Steve Kerr needed time to heal from surgery.

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant [Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
Luke Walton reportedly believes that the Los Angeles Lakers have a bright future. The roster includes some talented young players. D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have plenty of potential; either could become an All-Star in the NBA. If Jordan Clarkson decides to stick around in free agency, then the Lakers have a nice trio to build around.

The Los Angeles Lakers can also speed up their rebuilding process through free agency. According to Luke Walton, the team has around $60 to $70 million to spend. With Walton now being the head coach of the Lakers, that might help draw in a couple of guys that could be added to the rotation right away.

Another thing that helps the Los Angeles Lakers is that they have the second overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Depending on who the Philadelphia 76ers decide to choose, the Lakers will more than likely end up with either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. Both guys have potential to be game changers on the professional level.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle
Julius Randle [Photo by Sean M Haffey/Getty Images]
Luke Walton steps into one of the hardest jobs in the NBA. Aside from being under constant scrutiny by the media and demanding fans, Walton is going to have to guide a franchise that no longer has Kobe Bryant. The legendary guard was quite the luxury for the Lakers over the past two decades. Walton has to figure out how the team can succeed without Bryant.

Without Kobe Bryant around, the Los Angeles Lakers will now play in an up tempo system. That was something that Luke Walton made sure to mention in his introductory press conference with the Lakers. It’s a style of play that helps NBA teams sell a lot of tickets. That’s something Los Angeles likes to do.

An uptempo system might prove to be quite beneficial to the Los Angeles Lakers. Guys like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle are of the new generation. Younger guys want to run as much as they can. They also want to shoot as much as they can. Luke Walton might cater to those desires with his new offensive system.

No one knows how well Luke Walton will do as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA games are not played on paper. However, Walton is a very brilliant basketball mind. He has a very good chance at turning things around for the Lakers. At the very least, fans in Los Angeles are enthusiastic about the upcoming season.

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images]

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