Former Arizona fan favorite and Los Angeles Laker Luke Walton, will now get the opportunity to coach one of the greatest players in NBA history, LeBron James.
Twitter exploded on Sunday, as news broke that LeBron James agreed to a four-year, 184 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. James, considered to be one of the greats to play the game of basketball, became a unrestricted free agent this off season after his former team, the Cleveland Cavalier were unable to find way to beat the Warriors.
As a result of this decision, Luke Walton will now be his head coach.
It’s a circle of life in Los Angeles! Walton, who was drafted in 2003 (the same year James was drafted), will now look to provide his Walton wisdom with ‘The King’ at his side and hopefully bring back the NBA Championship back to Los Angeles. Funny how life turns out sometimes.
LeBron will now be coached by Luke Walton, who was drafted 31 picks after him in 2003. pic.twitter.com/CWxnZ0tSS2
— ESPN (@espn) July 2, 2018
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There are going to be many questions now with James in the lineup, as the Lakers look to make their way back to the NBA Finals and win another championship. The Lakers last championship came in 2010.
How much input will Coach Walton have with how plays are called and how decisions are made ? Will Walton and James get a long? How much freedom will Walton give James during crunch time?
If history is any indication, James will have complete freedom and do whatever he wants because he is the G.O.A.T. It will be interesting though to see how the duo of Walton and James, will get a long.
Look at how Coach Steve Kerr handles his superstars. He treats them with respect, but at the same time he isn’t afraid of speaking his mind when things aren’t going according to plan. I have a feeling Walton will approach his new responsibility in a similar fashion.
The Lakers finished with an overall record of 35-47 last season, finishing third in the Pacific Division and 11th in the Western Conference. In his second year as head coach, Walton improved in total wins from 26 to 35.
Returning in 2018-19, he has a lot of promising young talent on his team, with the likes of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, however it’s hard to assume LA is ‘done’ making moves. With adding ‘The King’ to the mix, the Lakers have a possible chance of dethroning the Warriors in the Western Conference.
A Luke Walton post couldn’t be complete without some insight from the one and only, his father Bill Walton. Just a few weeks ago on ESPN’s ‘The Jump’, he was asked about his thoughts of his son possibly coaching LeBron James:
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As the next chapter in Luke Walton’s coaching career is set to begin, expectations will be high now that ‘The King’ is on board. As a former Wildcat and knowing how to “Bear Down”, he will have no problem handing that pressure and bring back that elusive NBA title back to Los Angeles.