Search Here

The Golden State Warriors turned the tables on the Los Angeles Lakers this time but Luke Walton, who took over as the Lakers' head coach a few months ago, still had his share of support. The biggest endorsement perhaps came from Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Warriors who said Walton has all that is required to become a "brilliant coach".

"He's so comfortable in his own skin," Kerr said before the game, to Los Angeles Daily News. "Who that is is somebody who knows the game, gets along with players and wants to see the game played with the ball moving at a beautiful pace. That's going to be from his heart. He'll figure out how he wants to operate on a daily basis because that's where it's about your personality than any mentor you had. The guy is going to be a brilliant coach."

Kerr's remarks carried weight since Walton had once served as his assistant during his stint with the Warriors before he came to the Lakers and even pitched in as the interim head coach while Kerr was out of the scene with an injury in the initial stage of the last season.

He did a fantastic job then by guiding the Warriors to a 39-4 record that included an unprecedented 24-nil start. Something which did his reputation as a coach a world of good.

Walton also expressed his pleasure over working with the Warriors in the past by saying that he aims to bring in a culture in the Lakers' camp similar to that of the Warriors. A good thing with Walton is that he is never shy of taking the required lesson even from his opponents.

The 36-year-old head coach of the Lakers, the son of an NBA champion and a good passer during his playing days, will have another go at the Warriors who the Lakers had beaten in March on Wednesday in San Diego. Though the Lakers with an ordinary record this preseason are not being considered as the title contenders like their opponents, yet there is a growing optimism about the future of this young team led by a young and competitive coach.

A loss is still a loss but the way the Lakers pulled it back from 47-74 at the break to a final score of 107-112 at the T-Mobile Arena, it spoke volumes about the team's tenacity to fight on. It is the "big picture" of the future that Walton has a firm focus on and the odd losses during the rebuilding period are unlikely to distract him.