Kings coach Luke Walton isn’t concerned with his future despite the fact the franchise missed the playoffs for the 15th straight time, though just second on his watch.
“It doesn’t weigh on me because it’s the same thing I always talk about — it’s control what you can control — the same message I give my players every day,” Walton told reporters.
“To me, the storyline and the focus of Sacramento right now should be on this team and the excitement of what we saw out of our young rookie in Tyrese (Haliburton) and the progress that De’Aaron Fox made and the year Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes had, and even Buddy (Hield) — watching Buddy continue to grow and start having games with seven or eight assists and low turnovers.”
Walton wasn’t finished.
“That’s what we should be talking about as a group and as an organization. So if you ask me, I’ll tell you, no, I’m not concerned at all because it doesn’t do anything for me or the group to be concerned, so we’ll stay focused on the positive and the good things,” he added. “Like I continue to say, I’m excited about this group and excited about our future.”
The Kings finished 31-41, tied for 11th place in the Western Conference. They did indeed make strides and did show promise under first-year general manager Monte McNair.
“… Look, we’re all frustrated. We want to be part of a postseason,” Walton said. “I know the organization does, the fans do, the media does, so that part of it is disappointing, but you’ve got to look at the good, too, and the progress that so many of these guys have made this year.”
