Luke Walton is joining the Detroit Pistons as the lead assistant under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The fit is obvious. Walton had spent the past two seasons as an assistant under Bickerstaff in Cleveland. When Bickerstaff got fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson, who ironically came from one of Walton's former employers, the Golden State Warriors, it made sense that he would follow his former boss to his new team.
Walton played more than a decade in the NBA, primarily as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished his career in Cleveland before joining the coaching ranks. His first NBA job was with the Warriors, and his performance as the interim coach in place of Steve Kerr while he recovered from back surgery got him a full-time head coaching job with the Lakers. After stints in Los Angeles and with the Sacramento Kings, he has settled back into an assistant position under Bickerstaff.
Kevin Burleson, the former Rockets G League head coach, has also agreed to take an assistant coaching job in Detroit, according to ESPN. Burleson has previously worked with Minnesota and Memphis.
The Pistons are attempting to revamp their entire organization after an embarrassing 14-win season. Head coach Monty Williams was fired one year into a historic six-year, $78 million contract he signed in 2023, and Trajan Langdon was brought in to run basketball operations. He replaced former general manager Troy Weaver, who left after Langdon's hiring. Now, in Bickerstaff and Walton, the Pistons have landed the foundation of their coaching staff.
Still, the organization has a long way to go before it can return to the playoffs. Detroit has spent the past five years in the lottery, and the roster is still young and very raw. There isn't much shooting to speak of, and while there is defensive upside, it comes from young players who still need to learn the finer points of slowing down NBA offenses. There's talent here, but Bickerstaff and Walton have their work cut out for them.
