When the Los Angeles Lakers used their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign guard Lonnie Walker IV over the summer, plenty of fans didn’t like the move.
He had shown flashes of potential in his first four NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, but, by and large, he had been inconsistent on both ends of the floor.
So far this season, he has been a fire starter for the Purple and Gold, averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 43.8% from the field.
In the Lakers’ 120-117 overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, he led everyone in scoring with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting overall and 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
He said head coach Darvin Ham has given him the freedom he has never had before.
"When you have a coach that has your back and trusts you through thick and thin, it goes a long way." – Lonnie Walker IV on his relationship with coach Ham. pic.twitter.com/K3RVbIRUsT
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 2, 2022
“The opportunity has been great. I think this is one of the very first times where I’m allowed to play through my mistakes and do what I do. A coach like Darvin, he’s allowing me to just do my game and play free. On the defensive side, he knows what he wants out of me and I’m willing to take on that challenge, and on the offensive side, I’m just doing what I do. I know what I’m capable of and it’s only going to continue to get better and better. But when you have a coach that has your back and trusts you through thick and thin, it goes a long way.”
Ham has preached playing “fast, physical and free” offensively and being a fast-break team, and Walker is clearly benefiting from that ethos.
Efficiency and consistency will be the key for him, especially as the season wears on, but it looks like there’s a chance the Lakers will get lots of bang for their buck when it comes to his play.
