When last we saw Luke Walton up close and personal, he was an ascendent star. As an assistant coach, he presided over the Warriors’ 24-0 start to the 2015-16 season in the absence of ailing head coach Steve Kerr.
The Warriors won an NBA record 73 games that season, and Walton was part of that. They went to their second consecutive NBA Finals, and Walton was part of that. They blew a 3-1 lead and lost Game 7 to Cleveland. Walton? Hey, he was only an assistant. There was no stain on his resume.
By this time, he had been hired as the Lakers’ head coach.