JEFFERSON, WALTON RENEW LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP
ANGELES» Nuggets reserve LOS forward Richard Jefferson recently exchanged text messages with Luke Walton, his college teammate and close friend who also happens to be the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach.
But the messages were not about Sunday’s meeting between their two teams, or even about basketball. They were about their longtime fantasy football league.
“He’s going through a rough year,” Jefferson said following Sunday’s shootaround at Staples Center. “He’s had some injuries. But he’s won the league a couple of times, so I’ll give him credit in that sense.”
Jefferson said it’s been “stressful” for him to watch Walton embark on the challenge of rebuilding the young Lakers. When Jefferson was with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, he subscribed to NBA League Pass just to watch the second half of Lakers games after he returned home from his night of work. He’d cheer and get frustrated just like any fan, then text Walton words of encouragement.
“I’d be like, ‘Keep your head up,’” said Jefferson, noting last season’s 26-56 Lakers record was likely the most Walton has ever lost in his basketball life. “And he would vent a little bit.”
While Jefferson and Walton shared the floor again Sunday, with the Nuggets returning to full health, Jefferson wasn’t likely to see much playing time against Lakers. That’s why it’s not so strange to Jefferson that he’s still playing while his buddy Walton is now an NBA head coach.
“I’ve only played like 12 more minutes than him this season,” Jefferson said with a smile.
Lonzo under microscope. Lakers coach Luke Walton fielded questions during his pregame media session Sunday about the potential distraction for rookie point guard Lonzo Ball due to his father, LaVar, exchanging words with president Donald Trump about Lonzo’s brother, LiAngelo, returning home after being arrested for shoplifting while in China with UCLA.
That’s become routine for the youngster under one of the biggest microscopes in the NBA. Walton said Ball has “more on his plate than I could ever imagine” and that he recently reiterated his support for his point guard.
Even Nuggets coach Michael Malone expressed sympathy for Ball. Malone praised Ball’s ability to keep his head up and fire down-the-court passes in transition, helping the Lakers rank third in the NBA in fast-break points (14.9 per game), third in pace (106.2) and first in points in the paint (55.4) entering Sunday.
“Come back in a couple years and I think he’s gonna be a heck of a player,” Malone said.
Footnote. For the first time since the season’s opening week, no Nuggets were on the injury report prior to Sunday’s contest at the Lakers.