Los Angeles Lakers

Luke Walton was the only answer for Lakers, but big questions remain

Published Apr. 29, 2016 11:45 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

If Luke Walton wanted to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers -- and he very obviously did, as he took the job late Friday -- then there was only one real candidate for the job.

Ettore Messina would have been a fine choice. Ditto David Blatt or whomever else the Lakers might have interviewed. But Walton's a Laker. He played nine season in Los Angeles and won two titles under Phil Jackson in the purple and gold. And as much as that maybe shouldn't matter, it absolutely does.

Yes, it's important because of his ties to Phil Jackson; and because of the excitement pulsing through southern California as fans rejoice; and because of how much it means for this team to feel wanted after being spurned time and again by free agents and desireable coaches and basically anyone who matters. But it cuts the other way.

The Lakers couldn't afford to see Walton go elsewhere and succeed. Not in the post-Kobe Bryant era, when finding a new identity goes hand-in-hand with just trying to win some games once again. To lose the most important Laker of the past 20 years and miss out on the man who could turn things around would have secured the team's modern legacy as a laughingstock. Better for Walton to fail as a Laker. At least then, everyone goes down together -- and it's not like there was a superstar choice out there. This team isn't at that point in its rebuild. Jeff Van Gundy wasn't going to make them a title contender overnight, after all.

Welcome home, Coach!! pic.twitter.com/es9Shj8qm0
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 30, 2016

Still, as obvious a choice as this was, it's far from a sure thing. Walton's youth -- he's 36 years old -- is one of his most appealing characteristics, as it allows the Lakers to consider him as a long-term solution and ostensibly enables him to relate to his players. His short resume, however, leaves four major unknowns.

1. We don't know what style Walton wants his team to play

We can make some educated guesses, of course. Despite his time with the Zen Master, Walton's not going to be running the triangle. Sorry to break it to you, triple-post enthusiasts. The easy assumption is that Walton will want the Lakers to spread the floor and run when possible, like the Warriors. That's the modern NBA, after all. You move the ball, move yourself without the ball, and take high efficiency shots. But what will that mean in practicefor Walton's Lakers? How will he adjust until the right personnel is in place? What kind of center does Walton prefer? Is D'Angelo Russell/Jordan Clarkson his ideal backcourt of the future?

2. We don't know who his assistants will be

If we're being honest, this speaks to a much larger knowledge gap in the coaching industry than many would like to admit. From one organization to the next, it's never clear which coach does what. And while we know that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are good friends, for instance, the network between coaches and assistants across the league might as well be a black box.

Walton is known as an offensive coach, with Ron Adams handling much of the defensive load in Golden State. But we have no idea where those responsibilities start and end or where Walton feels he could use some support. It seems safe to assume he will look to add an older coach to his bench as a mentor role, and a defensive lead assistant makes sense to teach the Lakers a modern scheme that can actually stop opponents. Whom those people might be remains to be seen.

3. We don't know if players will want to play for him

The Lakers reportedly wanted a coach who could also recruit players to Los Angeles. Walton has the demeanor to accomplish that task, and he'll surely have pleasant meetings with potential free agents.

But this is basketball at the highest level. Players don't need a coach who's their friend or one who knows the best bars to hit on the weekend. As Los Angeles' failed pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge demonstrated, elite NBA players want to know they're coming into a winning situation. For all his charm and charisma, Walton needs to show this team has a plan to get back to postseason contention -- from acquiring talent to executing a complete approach to the game on the court.

4. We don't know how good of a coach he really is

You don't lead a team to a 39-4 record without some major coaching chops, whether it's as an interim or not. As the head coach for the first half of this Warriors' season, Walton proved himself as someone who can handle rotations and knows his way around Xs and Os. At the very worst, Walton is a solid coach who will be a vast improvement over the last guy.

Coaching is culture, however, and Golden State's didn't truly belong to Walton. He played a large part in shaping the culture, to be sure, because that's the environment Steve Kerr fosters. And that sense of collaboration should be a big part of a Walton regime in Los Angeles, which will go a long way toward making the players and coaches feel like adults who are part of a team. Until he takes control of a franchise for the first time, though, we won't really know what it means for a team to be a Luke Walton squad.

But we can dream, friends, and those dreams are pretty amazing. Walton has time to mature as a coach alongside a team defined by potential. They'll make mistakes together, learn from them and strive to make this organization proud once more. Congratulations to Walton and the Lakers. This should be a match made in heaven.