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It’s no secret that Frank Vogel was not the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first choice when they were deciding on who to hire as their head coach. He put together some really good seasons with the Indiana Pacers but faltered with the Orlando Magic. When the decision to hire him was revealed, it didn’t exactly ignite the fan base. Almost a year later, it looks like the Lakers made the perfect decision.
Before the NBA was put on suspension, Vogel led the team to the best record in the Western Conference. Perhaps an even more important factor is that he’s helped keep a harmonious locker room. The Lakers have a ton of big personalities on the team, but they arguably have the best chemistry of any team in the NBA. Vogel deserves some credit for that.
Vogel Perfect for LeBron James?
Vogel wasn’t a star NBA player and had to work his way up to make it in the coaching ranks. His first big shot as a coach was with the Boston Celtics under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino. After serving a decade as an assistant in the NBA, Vogel finally became a head coach and now finds himself as the head coach of one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. While there were doubts Vogel could handle the likes of superstar LeBron James, Pitino knew that it wouldn’t be a problem for his former assistant.
“I thought he’d be perfect for LeBron because LeBron is going to know whether you know your stuff or not,” Pitino said, per The Athletic’s Brett Dawson. “He is so tuned into basketball. He’s going to know whether you can teach the game, you understand the game. And Frank does.”
It isn’t a secret that James holds an incredibly high basketball IQ. Coaches haven’t exactly thrived with him, but Vogel appears to have figured out how to have a great relationship with the superstar.
“With LeBron, the bullsh*t radar is one of the best,” Vogel said. “And he not only wants to know that you know it, but he demands that everyone around him works as hard as he does.”
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Vogel Talks Pitino
Though Pitino didn’t do very well in the NBA, he’s still considered one of the best basketball coaches ever. Vogel credits Pitino for much of his success as a coach.
“When you work for Rick, you have to be over-prepared for everything,” Vogel said. “You have to be prepared for 10 different things that are probably not even going to come up, but if they do, what are you going to present in that staff meeting or that game plan or during that game?
“I think there’s definitely something to be said for being around Coach Pitino, in that demanding environment, leading me to be a coach that, in general, over-prepares for everything we do.”
Being the head coach for the Lakers might be one of the most demanding jobs in all of sports, but Vogel seems to handle the pressure very well. It’s hard not to think that his experience under Pitino helped mold him for this job. If he keeps thriving in Los Angeles, he could be around for a very long time.
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