The past few weeks have been tumultuous for Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton.
His team went on a nine-game losing streak, and lost 12 of 13 games, tumbling all the way down the standings into last place in the West. Then, faced a barrage of criticism once again from LaVar Ball, who claimed the Lakers didn't want to play for Walton. And most recently, there was a rumor that the Lakers wanted to get rid of Walton in favor of former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale.
However, it seems Walton has the backing of the two people who matters most: Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and president Magic Johnson.
Buss posted a picture with Walton and GM Rob Pelinka on Saturday afternoon, and wrote "#InLukeWeTrust" in the caption.
On my way to #Memphis for #Lakers game. Dinner with Rob and Luke tomorrow night. Barbecue!! @Lakers #InLukeWeTrust pic.twitter.com/cDIAHSn80a
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) January 13, 2018
That alone seems like a good sign for Walton, but in addition, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Buss sent the tweet as a show of public support for Walton following the recent criticism and rumors.
And yes, from what I heard, Jeanie absolutely is jumping in here to both reassure Luke of his place with the Lakers and show that support publicly after the Fizdale stuff yesterday, which was highly speculatory and originated from outside the organization.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 13, 2018
Even more support was shown for the coach when Johnson chimed in with how well Los Angeles had been playing under Walton as of late.
Coach Luke Walton has the @Lakers playing some of their best basketball of the season right now.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2018
Of course, there is a long way to go in this season and the Lakers face a wild summer, during which it's certainly possible that they replace Walton. As the previous offseason showed, things can change rather suddenly in the NBA.
However, at least for now, it seems the Lakers' brass is happy to have Walton patrolling the sidelines.
