Will Luke Walton be their coach next season? I think not
That's interesting, because I think Walton has these kids playing hard. They're just poorly constructed. There aren't enough solid veterans on the team to keep these young players from going into a tailspin. They're reeling right now and I don't think one win is going to pull them out of this funk. They're too young, too emotional. There is no real leader on the court.
You think this team is playing hard? 5 of their last 6 losses have been complete blowouts. They've quit..
None of this is Luke Walton's fault, it's Magic's and Rob Pelinka's. I find it farcical that
neither have been criticized once. Just because you are a charming legendary NBA player doesn't give you a free pass in any role you take afterwards, it was Magic's decision to public criticize Russell (a 20 y.o kid) as 'not a leader' and then drafts an overhyped highly flawed kid with the second pick and tells the world before he's even played an NBA minute 'I expect your jersey to be in the rafters one day'...and not one media presence calls him incompetent. Look at Dennis Smith Jr and Donovan Mitchell and what they are both doing in the first half of their NBA season, they didn't all of a sudden improve exponentially in the space of 6 months they were both always this good as Ainge was seriously considering drafting both.
The squad they've given Walton is full of player who; A) don't want to be there and B) know they are going to be let go in a season to make way for PG or another max player. Where are the vets to help players grow because it's not Deng who is being held against his will or Bogut who they just cut. Randle knows he isn't going to be resigned and has always had work ethic issues, Ingram can be invisible in games and so on, Walton was loved at GSW and is apparently hated at Lakers...only difference Lavar and management.
Although I am enjoying this and I hope the Lakers continue to be incompetent for the foreseeable future.