Mar 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Luke Walton looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Luke Walton Gets Brutally Honest on Lakers Coaching Tenure

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated May 24, 2025 11:00 AM ET

When he was announced as the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach, former two-time L.A. champion small forward Luke Walton was the toast of the town.

The beloved former role player had served, in a fill-in capacity, for an ailing Steve Kerr (stricken with back problems) during a 24-0 win streak to open the Golden State Warriors' 2015-16 title defense season.

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He was even honored as a Coach of the Month for Golden State at the time. The Warriors got off to the second-best start in league history, 39-4, under Walton's tutelage before he ceded the main bench spot back to Kerr.

Although Golden State would go on to post a league-record 73-9 regular season finish, the Warriors would ultimately lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, fumbling a 3-1 series lead.

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The Lakers hired Walton away in 2016. He posted a 26-56 record that season, and never got better than 37-45 in 2018-19, even with LeBron James on the roster.

During a recent conversation with Jerry Ferrara (Turtle on "Entourage") on his "Throwbacks" podcast, Walton got honest about his shortcomings as a coach with the team.

“There’s a lot that I’ve learned on this journey," Walton said. "When I first got that Lakers job I had only been coaching for two years up there with Golden State and there’s just a lot of different things since then that I understand and different situations that I’ve been in. It’s like anything, even when you’re a player, hopefully continuing to grow and understand the game more and it’s the same with coaching. So yeah, to answer your question Matt, there’s a lot I’d do different and there’s a lot I’ve learned since then.”

Walton went on to serve two seasons and change in Sacramento as a head coach. He is now an assistant on the Detroit Pistons under J.B. Bickerstaff.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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