Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel is doing a great job despite the injuries

When it comes to coaching, the Los Angeles Lakers have always tried to fill the position with someone who had a well-known name. Of course, that didn’t always work.

Many people were expecting the Lakers to pick a big-name coach when they needed a new leader. After all, in the past, the position was held by some of the biggest names in all of basketball.

Pat Riley and Phil Jackson are two of the most famous people in Lakers history. Hard shoes to fill but those were different and wonderful times and the NBA was a different game (Boy do I miss it).

Frank Vogel, in his second year of being the Lakers head coach, has done a wonderful job and while he helped them win a title last season.

However, this season is more telling because of the injuries the Los Angeles Lakers have had to overcome.

There are a lot of things to like about Frank Vogel. At first glance, you would think he was rather quiet and laid back. However, when there is a call that the referees miss or when they make a bad call during the game, he is always up and involved.

In fact, it is one of the traits I like most about him. He’s got some fire in him. Vogel is not afraid to let the refs know when he doesn’t agree with something. He also always has his team’s back and never talks down about his players. A very cerebral coach who analyses the game well while it is in motion and brings his own approach to each opponent.

Frank Vogel has helped the Los Angeles Lakers become one of the best defensive teams in the league. In a time when defense seems to be a thing of the past and so many teams concentrate on nothing but shooting, the Lakers possess a solid defensive system.

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They have all played well into it and it has paid off big time for them. Especially in crunch time and in the playoffs, where things are always changing, they always seem to remain one of the deadliest teams in the NBA.

This season has been the best chance for all of us to see what Vogel was all about. I think he has done a wonderful job. It has been anything but easy for him as he has had to deal with the fact that two of not only the Lakers biggest stars, but the NBA’s as well, have been injured.

Vogel has been able to play with the roster a bit and implement the needed players where they are needed most. We have seen that there are nights when certain players will get more time than others and times when some are inserted into the game to help. It is rough times like these in which we see the best and the worst of people.

Vogel has helped the Los Angeles Lakers to maintain their stance in the NBA despite their injuries. In fact, when you strip all teams of their superstars, the Lakers are by far still the deepest and the best.

Take the Brooklyn Nets, for instance. If you subtract Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden from the roster, they wouldn’t quite be the same now, would they? The same can be said for the Los Angeles Clippers with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Portland Trail Blazers with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Teams such as the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Philadelphia 76ers are similar to the Lakers in that there is much depth when it comes to their rosters and we have seen them operate or hold their own when injuries hit them.

Many will say that anyone can coach a team filled with talent. That is not always the truth now, is it? We have seen so many well-talented teams fall hard. Vogel is one of the few coaches that has proved that theory to be wrong in certain cases. He has established himself with the team and throughout the NBA as one of the finest coaching minds. Vogel has also put himself among many good assistant coaches.

He has also brought along young players like Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso and helped them to implement their talents within the Lakers’ system. Frank Vogel has a good eye for talent and knows how to use and get the most from his roster. There are some coaches that we have seen that do not do that. Some don’t play rookies, and some don’t use the majority of their bench.

Most importantly, this team likes playing for him. That’s one of the many great aspects of Vogel. After all, we have heard Titanic-like disaster stories about players hating their head coaches or being at odds with them. That does not seem to be the case here.

He’s not a dictator and doesn’t coach in a militaristic style. Vogel has his own style, and it is working.