Golden State Warriors: 5 Things to Watch for in the Preseason
By Eric He
Luke Walton at the Helm
April 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton (left) and head coach Steve Kerr (right) react during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In a surprising announcement last week, Steve Kerr took an indefinite leave of absence to recover from offseason back surgery, and the Warriors named lead assistant Luke Walton the interim head coach.
Walton, 35, has experience coaching the Warriors’ summer league team, but coaching an NBA team is a whole new ballgame. While Kerr it doesn’t seem like he will miss much time, with Ron Adams expecting him back soon, Walton, who joined the Warriors as an assistant last season, should use this opportunity to gain some reps as the man on the sidelines.
Teams won’t usually gameplan much or play with high intensity in the preseason, but it will be interesting to see how Walton’s coaching style differs from Kerr’s. A fellow graduate of the University of Arizona and knowledgable in the Triangle Offense, Walton has a similar pedigree to that of Kerr, but you can’t bank on him just being a carbon copy.
If Kerr misses an extended period of time, it will be Walton guiding the Warriors as the regular season starts, a development that would certainly be intriguing. In the unfortunate case of that coming to fruition, consider this preseason a “test run” for Walton.