Heading into the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend, there are more questions than answers for head coach Luke Walton and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Five days after one of their best wins of the season against the Boston Celtics, the Lakers fell flat and suffered an embarrassing loss to Atlanta Hawks.
With an opportunity to close the gap for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference, Los Angeles is a mere 28-29. It’s their first time being under .500 since last November.
Whether it is fair or not, NBA head coaches are usually scapegoats in these type of situations as they are easier to replace compared to front office executives and players.
Fortunately for Walton, he still has the support of Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss, according to Brad Turner of the L.A. Times:
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka are all on the same page regarding Walton being the coach for the rest of the season, the people said.
Buss especially wants to give Walton every opportunity to succeed, one person said.
Throughout this season, there have been conflicting reports about Walton’s future but the one constant has been Buss’ support for him. As a result, the 38-year-old reportedly ‘will definitely’ finish the remainder of his third season as head coach of the Lakers.
While Walton certainly has his flaws, he is not fully responsible for the current state of the team. Through all of the major injuries and Anthony Davis trade rumors, it would be difficult for any head coach to succeed.
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