Scouting Report

Luke Walton is all about the intangibles. He is an excellent passer, an effective post scorer when he has a smaller man on him (and his basketball IQ is high enough for him to recognize and take advantages of those mismatches), and an underrated defender. Its often forgotten but Walton is a perfect fit for the triangle. The only skill that the triangle normally requires that he lacks is a consistent three-point shot but he is an excellent passer and decision maker to make up for it and he showed during the Finals that he can even defend top scoring options in stretches (he did a great job on Pierce when he was in).

With Walton out for most of the regular season last year, the Lakers’ second unit struggled to find an identity and never really had a playmaker to control the flow of the offense when Kobe Bryant was on the bench. He really can be a triangle point guard in my opinion because I am very high on his ability to pass the basketball specifically out of spots on the floor that are meant for a triangle player.

The problem with Walton are the back problems that have eaten away at his ability to get back on the court. There has been a lot of buzz this off-season surrounding his health and apparently Luke’s family and the Lakers have been trying to decide what the best option is for him to be able to finish his contract, which concludes in 2013, healthy. The best option could mean Walton will sit out next season or it could mean retirement. The latter is obviously the worst case scenario but back issues are nothing to mess around with and his life beyond basketball is far more important than being able to play.

When he is healthy, though, he is an excellent all-around player for what the Lakers ask him to do and his abilities add a nice dimension to Los Angeles’ second unit. Here’s hoping he can return to the team next season and remain effective and healthy for the duration of the year.