“As a coaching staff, we’ll push him in the right direction as far as what we see he should be doing at that time,” Walton said in a recent interview with Southern California News Group. “But ultimately, you want him to be able to recognize that stuff on his own.”
“Kobe knew if we were playing like [crap] that he would score and carry us until we started playing better,” said Walton, reflecting on his 10-year NBA career that was mostly with the Lakers. “That’s why we always had a chance. It’s a skill that can be developed and is something our coaching staff will be in constant conversation about. That’s something we’ll see [D’Angelo] get better at as the years go on.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2016/09/19/luke-walton-hopes-to-find-balance-between-guiding-dangelo-russell-giving-him-freedom/
Challenging Clarkson on Defense:
“I think he can take his biggest strides by embracing the challenge of being a solid defender in this league,” Walton said in a recent interview with Southern California News Group. “The big thing for him in becoming a better basketball player and us as a team is the way he gets after it on defense.”
“A couple of times I’ve seen it this summer where he gets after the ball. Because of his quickness, he disrupts the players,” Walton said. “That’s going to be more of a mindset thing with him. He can be a very solid defender because of the way he can move out there on the court.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2016/09/20/luke-walton-challenging-jordan-clarkson-to-become-a-better-defender/
Why he won't start Ingram:
“We’re not going to throw him into the starting lineup right away,” Walton said in a recent interview with Southern California News Group. “We’re not going to play him 40 minutes a night. It’s going to be a gradual process.”
For Ingram, Walton anticipated “that the biggest challenge for him will be the physical abuse of an NBA season.” The reasons have little to do with Ingram’s thin frame that is currently listed at 6-foot-9 and 190 pounds. Walton expressed more concern how the 19-year-old Ingram would adapt to the NBA’s 82-game schedule after playing 36 games during his lone season at Duke.
“No player has ever been through that until you get to the NBA,” Walton said. “It’s exhausting until your body gets used to it and adjusts to it. It takes time. The biggest challenge for him will be figuring out the best way to manage that, still train and take care of himself. The on-court stuff and his play will be just fine. It’ll be the challenge of the 82 game season he might struggle with.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2016/09/19/why-luke-walton-does-not-plan-to-start-brandon-ingram-right-away/
On Randle:
“He’s put a ton of time into his jump shot and making a lot more of them, but it’s a fine line obviously,” Walton said. “He’s so good at getting to the rim and pushing the ball in transition. He has such strength and quickness. But you still want to use that to your advantage in being able to rely on the fact you can knock down jump shots.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2016/09/20/luke-walton-pleased-with-how-julius-randle-larry-nance-have-worked-on-their-mid-range-game/
On Nance:
“He’s a great passer. He has phenomenal hands on the defensive end. And he always seems to be in the right place,” Walton said of Nance. “He’s looking to make the right play before he’s looking to score 20 [points]. That’s something you need on your team. He’s a guy that makes those little plays that don’t end up on stat sheets all day long that make you end up winning the game.”