Los Angeles (AFP) - After two castastrophic seasons that were the worst in the club's history, Luke Walton is under no illusions about the size of the task facing him as he attempts to resurrect the Los Angeles Lakers.
The iconic California franchise looked to have hit rock bottom in the 2014-2015 campaign when the Lakers plunged to a 21-61 record in the Western Conference.
But that low point turned out to be merely a staging post en route to a fresh nadir when they crashed to a worst-ever 17-65 season in 2015-2016.
With Kobe Bryant heading off into retirement, and coach Byron Scott swiftly fired in April, the Lakers turned to Walton to begin the rebuilding process of the 16-time NBA champions.