Walton even went so far as to move Tyrese Haliburton back to the bench to strengthen it, and yet the team looked as lifeless as ever last night. That's 10 players on the roster who have shown themselves capable of being rotation NBA players. As a third string point guard I'd argue you could also add Kyle Guy to that conversion. Luke Walton can't claim he doesn't have NBA players.
So let's cross off the "lack of bench" excuse off the list. So what's left? Some of the local media is now blaming the players. I'm not going to say the players are blameless, nor am I arguing that a player like De'Aaron Fox is above being questioned. But the team has made a lot of changes to the roster over the last year and a half.
Nobody has ever questioned the effort of Richaun Holmes, so that excuse it out. Nobody questions Barnes' professionalism or effort. Buddy's performance is inconsistent but his effort is never in question. Bagley isn't with the team.
So now we're seeing fingers pointed at Fox because he's the last one left. Every single other player is new. Some came in the offseason, some came at the deadline, but the team has gotten rid of starters and bench players and yet we still see a team that is unmotivated and unprepared for their opponent. We keep hearing a list of excuses for Luke Walton. And every time one excuse gets invalidated a new excuse pops up.
When the news broke that Walton would return for a third season with the Kings, social media erupted like Mt. It should be noted that social media represents a small, yet vocal and volatile portion of the fanbase. Saying that, the loud minority was particularly riled up. In fact, he owns the second-best win percentage behind only Rick Adelman since the team relocated to the Capital of California prior to the season.
Walton has run the team during two of the most unique seasons in NBA history. The season was condensed to just 72 games over a five-month window with very little practice and even less ability for team bonding.
All 30 NBA teams played under these same circumstances and some franchises handled it better than others. There is a lot to like about what we saw this season in Sacramento, specifically with how individual players developed throughout the year. Walton turned to rookie Tyrese Haliburton early and often, playing the No. He had some highs and lows, but there is no question that he was a better player when his season ended.
Walton used Haliburton in all kinds of settings, including as a closer in the fourth quarter. Veterans Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes both showed tremendous overall improvement this season, and Marvin Bagley had a solid season when healthy.
Walton had a losing hand to begin with. The nature of the situation means Walton has, at times, seemed toothless. When the heads of the youthful backbone of the group dropped as they were hoisted up as trade bait, nothing he said or did was able to lift their spirits to a point where they functioned better.
If a movie of this odd season is ever written, Walton will be a peripheral character, less of a factor even than Anthony Davis, who maybe never will play in purple and gold. Facebook Twitter Email. Opinion: Luke Walton has done a lousy job, but he never had chance to shine. Show Caption. Hide Caption.
0コメント