Luke Walton's Time As Lakers' Coach Could Be Running Out If LA, LeBron James Don't Start Winning

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James, there was speculation that head coach Luke Walton could be in trouble if the team got off to a slow start in the 2018-2019 NBA season. Through only eight games, the tenuous nature of Walton’s job security appears to be very real.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lakers’ president Magic Johnson scolded Walton following the team’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night. The defeat dropped L.A. to 2-5 on the young season, and Johnson made it clear that the team would have to start winning games soon.

The Lakers avoided disaster in their next contest, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 114-113 at home after blowing a 14-point lead in the final four minutes of regulation. Wojnarowski reports that members of the coaching staff would not have been very comfortable if they had lost to Dallas before upcoming games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors.

There are several reasons for Los Angeles’ struggles, though the team’s defense is at the top of the list. The Lakers are 23rd in defensive efficiency. Only the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans have given up more points per game.

James is putting up his usual impressive numbers, averaging 27.8 points. 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field. The Lakers are seventh in offensive efficiency.

Walton has used 104 different lineups on the season, putting the Lakers second only behind the Atlanta Hawks, who have two wins. The coach has been forced to deal with early suspensions to both Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo while trying to figure out which players work best together. Four of the team’s top seven scorers weren’t on the roster last season.

Besides adding James, Johnson and the Lakers’ front office didn’t sign any stars during the offseason. Rondo is the only other player that’s ever made an All-Star team, and he last did so in 2013.

Expectations have changed in L.A. after five straight losing seasons. James reached the NBA Finals in each of his last eight seasons with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. With the exception of the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 season, a LeBron James team hasn’t won fewer than 50 games since 2008.

The Golden State Warriors remain the overwhelming favorites to win the title. Only the Warriors and Houston Rockets started the season with better odds than the Lakers to win the West.

The Lakers are 3-0 against teams that missed last year’s playoffs and 5-0 against teams that made the postseason. Los Angeles’ next three games will come against playoff teams, and they’ve got a combined 17-7 record this season.