Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry is still a mentor and friend for Lakers Coach Luke Walton

As soon as Lakers Coach Luke Walton finished speaking with reporters before the game, he turned to his right and smiled as he walked down the Smoothie King Center’s concrete hallway. Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry teased him for having to answer so many questions as he waited.

“They were all about you,” Walton exclaimed.

The two embraced then caught up about 90 minutes before their teams set to play for the first time this season.

“I learned so much under Alvin,” Walton said. “He’s got great experience in different systems and different teams. … He’s a good friend, someone I still talk to.”

Walton and Gentry were both assistant coaches with the Golden State Warriors during the 2014-15 season. Like the rest of the staff up there, Gentry remembers Walton being an affable young coach, perpetually late for the pregame national anthem. He remembers a coach willing to get upset if the situation warranted, and one who still texts with Gentry’s son regularly.

“He can relate to anyone,” Gentry said. “If you’re around him for a whole season like I was and see how he deals with people and see how much basketball knowledge that he has — I didn’t’ have any doubt that he was going to be a great coach. It doesn’t surprise me what they’re doing, it really doesn’t.”

Ball security

One part of D’Angelo Russell’s game the Lakers staff has focused on improving is his turnovers. Russell committed five turnovers against the Sacramento Kings and entered Saturday’s game having committed 12 turnovers in the previous three games.

“He has the ballhandling and passion vision not to turn the ball over,” Walton said. “We’ve seen it.”

Asked whether Russell sometimes chooses the fancy pass over the easy pass, Walton said that is sometimes an issue. Then he thought back to his own playing days.

“As a player, I loved throwing fancy passes,” Walton said. “I can understand where they come from. But we want singles instead of home runs. That’s how we want to play. Hit the next open guy and let the next guy make the pass and the hockey assist.”

Said Russell: “I haven’t had a highlight-reel pass in forever. But I know what he means as far as just turning the ball over.”

Zubac on the mend

Lakers rookie center Ivica Zubac was inactive for the game against the Pelicans, but went through Friday’s light practice and did some on-court work before the game. Zubac was listed as doubtful on the Lakers injury report because of a sore back, but didn’t have any issues with the injury after Friday’s practice.

UP NEXT FOR THE LAKERS

AT MINNESOTA

When: 5 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Target Center.

On the air: TV: Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330.

Records: Lakers 6-4; Timberwolves 2-6

Record vs. Kings (2015-16): 1-2.

Update: Just like the Lakers, the Timberwolves are coming off a back-to-back. Here the Lakers will face their third consecutive dominant big man in Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns had 24 points in Minnesota’s 119-105 loss to the Clippers on Saturday night.

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Twitter: @taniaganguli