A Royal Pain
Fansided

Luke Walton’s Coaching Career Is On The Line

By Ryan Ritter

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: Luke Walton of the Sacramento Kings looks on in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on January 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Kings defeated the Timberwolves 133-129 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: Luke Walton of the Sacramento Kings looks on in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on January 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Kings defeated the Timberwolves 133-129 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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Sacramento Kings
Luke Walton Sacramento Kings (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Sacramento Kings

All of that brings us to Sacramento. After an incredible season where the young team led by De’Aaron Fox ended up overachieving their way to 39 wins, the blueprint to getting this moribund franchise back into the playoffs for the first time since George W. Bush was in office was clear: let them run, let them fire away from three, let Fox do his thing. Even further, being given the keys to a team that had finally (we thought) landed into a little bit of consistency would represent an opportunity for Walton to make his mark as a head coach, free from qualifiers. NBA fans would finally see what kind of coach he was really was.

You don’t need me to tell you how that’s going.

The Kings sit at 21-33 at time of press. There are many reasons for this, including bizarre and seemingly unending injuries. However, the fact remains that the underachieving record stems largely from coaching decisions Walton has made. He apparently made the decision early on to focus on the team’s weaknesses in order to build an identity that moved beyond the somewhat gimmicky offense of last season. As a result of slowing things down, the Kings started 0-5 and the hopes of his first year were quickly dashed.

Yes, a slew of injuries complicated things more, although it should be noted that the Kings seemed to play their best when they were the most depleted. Adjustments along the way helped, including the recent swapping out of Buddy Hield from the starting lineup.  However, it seems to be too little and too late and the locker room may have been lost. The people who were worried about his hiring during the off-season appear to be almost apoplectic now.

Divac’s apparent support of Walton (for the moment) is a great gift that Walton needs to take advantage of. If the underachieving continues, even Divac will have to see the forest for the trees and make yet another head coaching change.

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If Walton is shown the door, there’s no guarantee another team will open another for him.  Whether that is due to lack of luck or skill apparently still remains to be seen.

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