Luke Walton will face questions as the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday at an introductory news conference at the team's El Segundo headquarters.
Walton's hiring was announced on April 29, but it was agreed that he would remain as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors until they completed their season. The Warriors season ended Sunday with a 93-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Among the questions Walton is likely to face is what he will do to try to turn around a team that had a franchise-worst 17-65 record in the 2015-16 season and has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Walton spent two season as an assistant coach with Golden State. He had a 39-4 record as the Warriors interim coach to begin the 2015-16 season when Steve Kerr was unable to coach because of back problems, including a 24-0 start, the best in NBA history.
Walton, a son of Basketball Hall of Fame member Bill Walton, began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis during the 2011 NBA lockout. He was a player development coach for the Los Angeles D- Fenders, the Lakers NBA Development League affiliate, in the 2013-14 season.
The 36-year-old Walton played for the Lakers from 2003 through 2012 and was a member of their 2009 and 2010 championship teams.
