As one door closes, another one often opens. For former Wildcat Luke Walton, just as he was let go in Los Angeles, he’s now heading to Sacramento!
Sometimes a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered! After three seasons in Los Angeles in which Luke Walton took the Lakers to a 98-148 record, he was let go as of yesterday, officially ending his tenure.
A lot of people were pontificating he was possibly going to join the college ranks, but having no known connections or the desire to recruit, that possibility didn’t seem likely.
Arizona Wildcats
Nonetheless, rumors persisted regarding Walton’s next possible coaching destination.
Well, barely a day later, and the former Wildcat will be moving just a little ways up north. On Saturday afternoon, it was announced that Walton is set to become the next head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings of course parted ways head coach Dave Joerger after three seasons in Sacramento. The Kings did not make the playoffs while under Joerger.
While we’re all familiar with the tough hand that Walton was dealt in LA, he should be walking in to a great situation with the Kings.
Sacramento is coming off a 39-43 season, just missing the Western Conference playoffs. The bright side, is that the Kings return a number of key players including; Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley III and Willie Cauley-Stein among others.
It’s very possible this team could make a significant jump into 2019-20, should this team stay intact and remain healthy next year.
Expectations will undoubtedly be pretty high, and it’ll be interesting to see how Walton handles the pressure. He will certainly be in a great position with plenty of support.
Ultimately, Walton still has much to prove, but shows a lot of promise for a young coach. Personally, I think you have to chalk about the bad situation in Los Angeles, to the organization having made bad decisions and the team being disorganized.
At Zona Zealots, we’re excited about the opportunity that Walton has and can’t wait to see what he can do with the Kings! Either way, we will be cheering! Bear Down, Arizona!