Under normal circumstances, Luke Walton would have spent more time mourning a playoff loss. He would have spent more time celebrating the birth of his second child. He surely would have spent more time playing beach volleyball.

Instead, Walton became the Lakers’ next head coach at a time that left him refusing to go on an extended vacation.

A day after the former Golden State assistant oversaw the Warriors lose in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to Cleveland, Walton drove down from Oakland to Los Angeles for his introductory press conference. Shortly after the birth of daughter, Landen, Walton channeled his focus toward the Lakers’ free agency efforts. With the Lakers coming off their worst record in consecutive seasons under former coach Byron Scott, Walton spent most of his waking hours with the Lakers in Las Vegas for summer league and at the practice facility in El Segundo for informal workouts.

“It’s not like I’m so overwhelmed and worn down that I’ll lose my mind. I’m in a great place,” Walton said in an interview on Friday with Southern California News Group. “It’s not like when I leave work, I think I need to take off for the weekend. Look where I work at? It’s incredible.”

With “the days flying by,” it still has not hit Walton the Lakers will host Media Day on Sept. 26 at the Lakers’ practice facility. Or that the Lakers begin training camp in Santa Barbara on Sept. 27.

Then, plenty of work awaits for Walton after serving as Golden State’s assistant for the past two years. Yet, Walton believes he already has established a culture in ways that do not involve drills or opening up his playbook.

“We’ve started building relationships with our players. I think that’s a big key to coaching,” Walton said. “We’ve made it a fun and enjoyable place for them to come to work out, train and get better. I think that’s a big reason why, even though it’s optional, a lot of the guys are coming in.”

Will that be a big enough reason for the Lakers to flourish under Walton after missing the playoffs for three consecutive years? That seems like a tall order for a young albeit unproven Lakers team in a bloated Western Conference.

That partly explains Walton’s relative apathy toward results, a previously unfamiliar concept for a franchise that has won 16 NBA championships.

“Are we competing? Are we playing for each other? Are we selfless? Is the ball moving?” said the 36-year-old Walton, who signed a five-year deal to coach the Lakers in April. “If we feel like we’re playing with those intentions and that effort, that to me is a successful season.”

The Lakers also hope the team’s young players develop more effectively under Walton than Scott, who received mixed reviews for his stern approach toward young players. Walton, who spent most of his 10-year NBA career with the Lakers, appears to have a more personable touch.

Hence, Walton might change the Lakers’ four two-a-day sessions scheduled next week in Santa Barbara. Some team-bonding activities could await.

“It depends on how quickly guys pick things up and how hard they work,” Walton said. “We have some things we’re talking about that could be fun to do. But we’re not going to do them if things aren’t going in the right direction.”

Walton’s affection for his young players also will not guarantee playing time. He touted the mentorship presence free-agent pickups Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng and Jose Calderon could provide. Walton also insisted he has not outlined a depth chart.

Despite praising rookie forward Brandon Ingram for his playmaking and versatility, Walton said “we’re not going to throw him into the starting lineup right away” out of concern how he handles a grueling 82-game schedule.

“You develop the young core by rewarding them when they play well,” Walton said. “If there’s 10 games left in the season and out of the playoffs and there’s some vets that played long minutes all season, maybe you play all your young guys to finish out the season. But when you’re going through the season, you’re not doing anyone any favors just by playing young guys so they can play if they’re not out there playing the right way.”

Scott said similar things. He yanked the starting jobs from point guard D’Angelo Russell and forward Julius Randle only 20 games into the 2015-16 campaign. Scott also questioned Russell’s work habits and attitude. Walton offered a more glowing assessment after Russell averaged 21.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in Summer League play.

“He’s ready to take the steps forward in this league toward becoming a leader, becoming a top point guard and competing every single night,” Walton said. “There’s a lot of growth to be had still. But he showed me he wants three things. He wants to be great. He wants to win. And he wants to lead. That’s what I want out of a point guard.”

Walton also praised ongoing efforts from Randle and Larry Nance Jr. in developing their jump shots. Walton expressed optimism for Jordan Clarkson to become an elite defender. And Walton reported other positive developments: second-year forward Anthony Brown has often won 3-point shooting contests in practice; rookie center Ivica Zubac has developed a skyhook; veteran forward Nick Young has lost about 20 pounds; veteran guard Lou Williams has demonstrated a playmaking presence.

Once the games start, Walton maintained he will keep the same enthusiasm for his job description regardless of the results.

“There’s going to be adversity and hard times. People will be upset about playing time and losses. So it will get more challenging,” Walton said. “But all I can speak on is what I’ve seen so far in people being here. They’ve been phenomenal. They’ve been coachable. They’ve been hard workers. From a coaching standpoint, it’s to teach, be patient and not overreact on wins and losses.”