Suns coach and former UCLA standout Earl Watson raves about Luke Walton

ANAHEIM >> Out of the corner of his eye, Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson saw second-year guard Devin Booker strolling in the hallway.

Nothing seemed unusual, other than Booker was walking the wrong way as he tried to find the court. But even if that marked yet another teaching moment for a young star, Watson hardly complained how that captured the millennial generation’s literal lack of direction.

Watson, who starred at UCLA from 1997 to 2001, views things differently.

“This generation is very intelligent, socially aware and very deep,” Watson said before the Lakers hosted the Suns on Friday at Honda Center. “They don’t get a lot of credit for that. You have to be authentic. You have to know your stuff when you teach it.”

The 37-year-old Watson and Lakers coach Luke Walton (36) might think differently for obvious reasons. They are only a few years removed from the NBA. But Watson believes that misses the point.

Both coaches had extensive NBA careers and learned from established coaches. One of those coaches, Hall of Famer Hubie Brown, once told Watson that “players didn’t change; the coaches did.”

“We bring the old school way,” Watson said, “where we deliver in a younger vocabulary.”

Hence, Watson has bonded with his young team by learning about their interests. Aware that his favorite rapper, 2Pac, died before most of his players were born, Watson has learned to appreciate recent hip-hop artists.

Walton did not have the same experience with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak. Though they talk every day about the team, Walton joked he has not carpooled with Kupchak because of his dislike for rap and country music. Walton, who has played music at practice, only saw Kupchak like his choices when the team recently played “The Eagles.”

“He’s got a good personality. He has some wit to him and can be joking,” Walton said. “He doesn’t bring it out a lot but with the amount of time I spent with him since I’ve taken the job, I’ve seen it. As a player when I play for him, I never saw that side of him.”

The Lakers have seen that side of Walton, though. He has offered a dry wit to players and reporters alike. He has often described players’ efforts as “phenomenal.” He has provided constructive criticism and specific feedback.

“There’s no better guy to lead a franchise and teach a franchise from a youthful perspective that he brings to the game with maturity and knowledge,” Watson said. “He sees the game on a different level. There’s so many levels at this game. There’s so game within a game. Few can see it with substance the way that he does.”

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Watson and Walton first met at a recruitment visit to UCLA. Watson hosted a trip to Universal Studios City Walk. There, Walton saw sports memorabilia that had a fake autograph from his Hall of Fame father, Bill. Incidentally, Walton went to Arizona.

“That had nothing to do with UCLA and he would’ve been a great fit for us,” Watson said. “But the thing about life is you can’t really make any wrong decisions. Everything happens for a reason. There’s great lessons and it leads you a certain way. You can’t change that path for him or me. For where he is and where I am, all of that had to happen.”

Staying patient

Even as he has encountered uncertainty in recent seasons on how long his NBA career will last, Metta World Peace has clung to one ideal. He will seek to play basketball professionally either in the NBA or professionally until the marketplace dictates otherwise.

So even if the Lakers could waive World Peace before Wednesday’s season opener against Houston, he declined to entertain the possibility of working on the Lakers’ coaching staff.

“It’s too early to think about that stuff,” World Peace said. “Right now we’re having a good time and having fun.”

Falling short

The Lakers may have shown signs of growth during Luke Walton’s inaugural training camp. But they ended exhibition play with a 98-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday at Honda Center.

Lakers forward Julius Randle could have tied the game with five seconds left, but he missed both of his foul shots. Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Randle had 15 points and eight rebounds.

T.J. Warren led the Suns with 15 points.