Their voices sounded excited. The tone in their text messages conveyed elation.
With the Lakers hiring Golden State assistant Luke Walton as their next head coach on Friday, his future players offered a jolt of energy that seemed absent during parts of the 2015-16 campaign that ended with their worst record in franchise history.
“It’s going to be real good for us,” Lakers rookie forward Anthony Brown said about the 36-year-old Walton. “He’ll be pretty hands on just because he’s close to us in age. He’ll really want to help develop guys.”
The Lakers fired Byron Scott last Sunday, his combined 38-126 record through two seasons laced with criticism on whether his demanding expectations resonated with his young core of players.