WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Orlando Magic talks with his team during a timeout in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers officially hired Frank Vogel to take over the reins as head coach of the storied franchise. Vogel makes the sixth coach to attempt to find success in Los Angeles since the departure of Phil Jackson after the 2010-2011 season. Vogel has had a relatively successful career record as a head coach, despite his two subpar most recent years with the Magic.
A longtime assistant coach of the Pacers who took over in 2010-2011, Vogel helped lead the Pacers to a solid run of success in the early Paul George days. In the Lakers, Vogel gets a bit bigger of a test compared to his stints in Indiana and Orlando as he is tasked with fronting the effort to turn around one of basketball’s most storied franchises.
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Lakers Hire Frank Vogel as Next Head Coach, per Report
Frank Vogel has agreed to a deal to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell ESPN.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Frank Vogel agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday evening to become the next head coach. With Vogel, the Lakers get a veteran presence who led the Pacers to a number of deep playoff runs. Vogel agreed to a three year deal with the Lakers per Woj.
Will Frank Vogel’s System Work for the Lakers?
Vogel is a well-respected defensive coach who at times has struggled to seemingly adapt his playbook to the modern NBA. There isn’t any doubting the defensive chops of Vogel but it remains to be seen how much pull he can have on LeBron. LeBron notoriously checks out on defense at times and doesn’t give 100% effort. Especially with such a young and impressionable team, they need to see better on-court leadership from their max-player. The Lakers were a relatively solid defensive team the year prior to LeBron’s arrival and actually were playing pretty solid defense when he was injured last season as well.
LeBron has the talent necessary to be an elite defender and turns it on when he feels he needs to but in order for a defensive-minded coach like Vogel’s system to operate at its best, he will need LeBron locked in defensively at all times.
Basically, Vogel’s success in LA will come down to more of his ability to manage the star power and ego of the world’s greatest basketball player as opposed to his ability to craft rotations or call plays. LeBron is basically an on-court coach as it is and the Lakers need someone to more or less just hold things together.