5 best head coaching destinations for Luke Walton
By John Buhler
Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton is one of the top head coaching candidates this offseason. Here are five teams he could land with in 2016-17.
The Golden State Warriors have put together the best regular season in NBA history with their 73-win 2015-16 campaign. Golden State entered this season with a boulder on its shoulder, put to rest any doubt that the Warriors’ 2015 NBA Championship was any sort of fluke.
As Golden State was routinely chalking up victories this winter with never before seen shooting prowess, impeccable defense, and an unrivaled willingness to compete nightly on the hardwood, one of the most interesting parts of their historic regular season was that the Warriors were able to win a ton of games without head coach Steve Kerr on the sidelines.
Kerr dealt with a hip injury that kept him from coaching in games for most of the first half of the season. While Golden State could have easily faltered in Kerr’s absence, his top assistant and former Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton came in and did a marvelous job helping Golden State win just about every game the Warriors played.
Because of his role on Kerr’s staff the last two years, Walton is becoming one of the biggest NBA assistant coaches to have his name thrown into the mix for head coaching gigs in 2016-17. While he won’t be the first top assistant to earn a head coaching gig, as Atlanta Hawks top assistant Kenny Atkinson will take over the Brooklyn Nets, Walton will certainly interview for jobs this summer.
It’s really up to Walton if he thinks he is ready for a head coaching position. He’ll likely be offered a few jobs this summer, but it may be in his best interest to stay in Golden State on Kerr’s staff for one more season. Looking at current openings and ones that could potentially be available after next season, here are the five best places for Walton to become a first-time NBA head coach.
Next: 5. New York Knicks