Despite coming off a crushing loss in the NBA Finals, Luke Walton was all smiles Tuesday at his introductory press conference in Los Angeles.
The Lakers’ new head coach says the team will play a fun brand of ball next season, and calls this his “dream job.”
Walton, 36, is excited to mold the Lakers’ crop of young talent.
Per the LA Daily News:
Walton noted the franchise’s exciting young talent, the amount of money the team can afford to spend in free agency and the opportunity to turn things around for a franchise that is coming off some of its worst seasons ever.
“The fact that (General Manager) Mitch (Kupchak) and (vice president of basketball operations) Jimmy Buss trusted me to be part of this rebuilding, post-Kobe era means the world to me,” Walton said. “Everything excites me. We have young talented players, we have draft picks, we have $60-70 million in free agency, the greatest fans.”
“Our players are going to like coming into practice every day,” he said. “We are going to play a brand of bball that the L.A. fans will appreciate. You have to make it fun for them. Basketball is meant to be a game of joy.”
