Golden State Warriors

Kobe Bryant: I used to call Luke Walton 'the next Phil' Jackson

Published Nov. 23, 2015 12:26 p.m. ET

foxsports

According to the official NBA record book, Golden State Warriors interim coach Luke Walton has a 0-0 record this season. It's kind of an odd situation, but as the Warriors keep piling up wins, the credit is technically going to Steve Kerr.

Yet Walton's steady hand is certainly on the wheel in Golden State. He's shown a keen eye for lineup changes. And when the Warriors have started to fall behind at times, Walton has taken a page out of the playbook of one of his former coaches. Like Phil Jackson, Walton will often let the Dubs play through a rough stretch rather than call a timeout.

And it's a strategy Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant might have seen coming. After Sunday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Bryant was peppered with questions about the Warriors, whom the Lakers face on Tuesday with Golden State's potential 16-0 start on the line. And when he was asked about Walton, Bryant compared his former teammate to Jackson -- although maybe not in the way Walton would hope:

Tongue in cheek from the Black Mamba? Probably. But a comparison to a Hall of Fame coach has to start somewhere.