When the lockout ended, Luke Walton left his temporary job as an assistant coach of the Memphis Tigers to rejoin the Lakers.

But he continues to coach from afar.

"I get random texts from certain [players] and after a game, if I'm able to watch it, I'll send some texts out to some of the guys with some thoughts," Walton said.

Walton coached in his last game with Memphis against Austin Peay on Dec. 3 before returning to Los Angeles after the conclusion of the lockout.

Walton said working as an assistant increased his interest in coaching after his playing career ends. He is under contract for two more seasons with the Lakers.

"It was a lot more challenging than I thought — the hours were a lot longer than I realized," Walton said, "but I had a real good time doing it so it definitely made my interest level go up."