Now that the season is over, the Los Angeles Lakers can look back and reflect on what went right and wrong for them this year. While they only won 26 games, that was still a solid improvement over last season.
Of course, coming into the season Walton said that this year would not be judged by the number of wins the team had, but rather he was looking to set the foundation for years to come for the Lakers.
Walton spoke at the Lakers exit interviews about this year being about the growth and development of the young players and on that end, Walton believes he got exactly what he was looking for:
Luke Walton: “We had growth, and that’s what we were looking for"
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) April 13, 2017
Walton also spoke on the importance of developing that culture with a young team and that they buy in via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
Hearing that all the players have stated excitement in playing for him, Luke said it’s key they embrace the culture he’s trying to set.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 13, 2017
Walton noted that things can be rough for a young team and buying into that culture 100 percent helps them come in and keep working hard every day even when things were tough, like they were for the Lakers throughout this season.
There were obviously some low points for the Lakers this year, but overall Walton seems happy with the development that they made and their five-game win streak at the end of the season was proof of that.
Despite the struggles, there is plenty to be excited about moving forward with this Lakers team. Walton has begun to build the foundation for this team and now it will be on the players to build on the growth they showed this season.