Lakers Rumors: Front Office, Management Not Holding Luke Walton Solely Responsible For Losing Streak

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers changed when they signed LeBron James but president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Luke Walton were among those in the organization to stress the need for patience.

Johnson and Pelinka explicitly stated that applied to Walton as well, as the third-year head coach was told not to be overly concerned if the team was slow out of the gate as they were working to develop chemistry.

However, that didn’t prevent Johnson from meeting with Walton a mere seven games into the season, when the Lakers were 2-5. Johnson reportedly criticized him for the lack of an offensive identity being in place.

The Lakers began to improve as the season wore on, but are now mired on a three-game losing streak and 1-6 stretch. With a myriad factors at play, the Lakers front office and management is not holding Walton solely accountable for the struggles, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:

Although Johnson was critical of Walton in their meeting, he later offered assurances he would remain the team’s head coach. It did include the caveat that something ‘drastic’ could change Walton’s job security, but declined to explain what that entailed.

While coaching strategy is not free of criticism, the Lakers’ slide very much is a result of LeBron James and Rajon Rondo being out with injuries. Moreover, Kyle Kuzma has missed the past two games after sitting out the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a lower back contusion.

Johnson and Pelinka are believed to have a standing desire to replace Walton with a choice of their choosing, but Lakers owner Jeanie Buss remains a staunch supporter of Walton.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com