LOS ANGELES >> In the same season he helped deliver an NBA championship nearly 44 years ago, former Lakers coach Bill Sharman held a morning shootaround in hopes of his players building a rhythm and getting out of bed at a reasonable hour.
For the 2016-17 season, Lakers coach Luke Walton has gone in the opposite direction by following the trend among coaches in recent years by reducing that practice. He has not held any morning shootarounds before any games on Sunday thus far. Walton plans to keep that itinerary for the Lakers’ 11 remaining Sunday evening games presuming his players do not give him any reason to regret that decision.