With the Los Angeles Lakers holding one of the best records in the NBA, a few players recently came out and praised Frank Vogel for his job so far.
Coming into the season, one of the biggest questions for the Los Angeles Lakers was the coaching situation.
After parting ways with Luke Walton, the Lakers looked like they were going to be hiring Tyronn Lue to be their next head coach. Lue had won a championship with LeBron James in Cleveland, and the fit made a lot of sense on paper.
However, despite it looking like almost a done deal, the two sides weren’t close when it came to negotiating a contract. This resulted in the Lakers opening up their coaching search again and landing on Frank Vogel.
Vogel has had a good amount of success in the NBA, mostly coming with Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. Those teams in Indiana were tough and played excellent defense.
Coming to the Lakers, Vogel knew he was inheriting a team with high expectations. Recently, Avery Bradley spoke with Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN about how well of a job Vogel has done with the team.
"“Frank is a motivator and true leader, and he’s consistent — emotionally and with his message,” says Lakers guard Avery Bradley. “That’s important because when you’re around a lot of alpha males every single day, you need a lot of consistency. It builds respect.”"
In addition to receiving praise from Bradley, Vogel was also praised by Jared Dudley. As a man that has been on a lot of NBA teams and in the league for a while, Dudley certainly who knows what it takes to be on a successful team.
"“His communication skills have been on point when it comes to the top two players,” says veteran forward Jared Dudley. “He knows the temperature of the team, knows when [James and Davis] need time off, when to rely on them, when to get on them in a film session. Everything he’s doing says ‘veteran coach.’”"
While Vogel might not have been the first choice for the franchise, he is looking like the right one midway through the season. Since the Lakers have one of the best records in the league after missing the playoffs last season, Vogel could be in the mix for the Coach of the Year award.
Seeing the praise coming from some of the veterans on the Lakers for Vogel is great. He has done a great job handling a veteran squad with two legit superstars. That is not an easy task for some head coaches, but Vogel has done an excellent job.