Luke Walton, LA Lakers Need to Get This Coaching Staff Right

The Los Angeles Lakers are pressing ahead during the offseason, preparing for the NBA draft and putting together a staff for newly hired head coach Luke Walton.

Walton himself is doing double duty—assisting Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors as they attempt to dig out of a hole in the Western Conference Finals while also reaching out to candidates who will ultimately become his own assistants.



Staffing can be a convoluted process, however. The high volume of coaching turnovers around the league has a ripple effect. Some assistants climb the ladder to take their own leadership roles, others follow former bosses, and still more find themselves scrambling for their next gigs.

All that is further complicated by the need to find the right combination on the Lakers bench. Walton will run a faster and more free-flowing offense than the one favored by his predecessor, Byron Scott. But he also has to fire up the defense—L.A. has been one of the worst teams in the league for points given up over the past three seasons.

 

First Chair Solved

According to ESPN, Brian Shaw will soon become Walton's associate head coach. It will be a reunion and part of a trend of keeping it all in the family. Shaw spent 12 years with the Lakers as both a player and assistant coach under Phil Jackson. Walton himself played for the Lakers while Shaw was working under Jackson, including two championship runs.

More recently, Shaw was fired as head coach of the Denver Nuggets in March after nearly two seasons and a record of 56-85. Prior to that, he was lead assistant to Frank Vogel and the Indiana Pacers.

In addition to their past relationship, Shaw's breadth of experience will benefit Walton, whose head coaching resume consists of a brief yet impressive 39-4 record as interim head coach earlier this season when Kerr was recovering from back surgery.


Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers