After a disappointing 6-11 start to the season, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Luke Walton.
The firing of Walton wasn’t a major surprise since there had been rumors of his departure for weeks before as the team continued to languish and embarrass itself.
Now that Walton has been given the ax, many are wondering if he will land his third head coaching job in the near future.
When looking at his career and (limited) success, it seems obvious that Walton is not yet ready to be the coach of an NBA team right now.
His Only Success Came With Champions
Walton’s biggest claim to fame as a coach was that he was in charge of the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for a while when Steve Kerr was sidelined with surgery.
During his time coaching, Walton saw his Warriors win an NBA-record 24 games in a row.
His temporary time as head coach ended with a record of 39-4.
Because of this, it was assumed that Walton would go on to be one of the best coaches in the NBA.
Yet, when he finally did secure his second coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers, success didn’t come easy.
In his three years leading the Lakers, the team went 98-148.
Obviously, the two teams were drastically different in terms of their talent and skills but the fact that Walton went from the best record in the league to one of the worst says a lot.
It has become very apparent that Walton’s brief success as a coach was because of the squad he was in charge of.
The Warriors were led by MVP Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and others.
It seems obvious that Walton is only capable of achieving greatness when his team is full of All-Star talent, which is not the trait of a good coach.
He Doesn’t Work Well With The Team
One of the biggest complaints about Walton with the Kings was that he didn’t know how to properly create a roster that played to the team’s strengths.
The Kings currently have terrific talents like De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, and more.
Even though they are young and inexperienced, the team should be in much better shape if they had a coach who was able to inspire and lead them.
There was talk of great division between Walton and the team and that simply cannot happen if someone hopes to be a head coach.
Former pro and current NBA analyst Matt Barnes spoke of the conflict.
No coach can lead a team if he or she doesn’t have the belief and loyalty of the team.
Walton didn’t know how to best use his squad and help them achieve greatness and that is one of the biggest reasons why he lost their faith.
In the days since the firing, the Kings have been showing signs of brilliance that simply wasn’t there before.
Fox and Davion Mitchell have been marvels on the floor since Walton’s departure, like during this play.
It’s only now that Walton is gone that the problems with his coaching style have become more apparent.
The Kings still have many struggles ahead but they are in a better position now that Walton is gone.
Walton is a talented young man but he should probably spend a few more years as an assistant before he takes on the duties and challenges of being a head coach.
Does Luke Walton Deserve Another Head Coaching Job? https://www.thecoldwire.com/does-luke-walton-deserve-another-head-coaching-job/Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:09:01 +0000NBAnbahttps://www.thecoldwire.com/?p=43931After a disappointing 6-11 start to the season, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Luke Walton. The firing of Walton wasn’t a major surprise since there had been rumors of his departure for weeks before as the team continued to languish and embarrass itself. Now that Walton has been given the ax, many are […]
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