2. The 2021-22 season is not indicative of Frank Vogel’s coaching ability
Being the head coach in any sport can be the most unforgiving job in the business. You are always the first person to get blamed when things go wrong and are the last person to get credit when things go right. It is like the Lakers forgot that Vogel just piloted the team to the NBA Championship less than 24 months ago.
Vogel coached really well in the 2020 playoff as well. Not only did he elevate the Lakers to being one of the best defensive teams in the league (in both of his first two years) but he managed the rotations beautifully in the 2020 playoffs.
In 2021 Anthony Davis played just half of the season and if he didn’t get hurt against the Phoenix Suns then who knows how far the Lakers could have gone in the NBA Playoffs. They definitely were more talented than any other team in the West and who knows, perhaps Vogel could have been a two-time champion.
Was Vogel perfect this season? Absolutely not. His rotations were questionable and it is absolutely fair to criticize him for that. However, he also wasn’t given much talent on the roster, especially considering the kind of coach he is. The Lakers gave Vogel nobody who could defend.
The issues with this team stem from a horrible fit with Russell Westbrook, a lack of depth and Anthony Davis missing half of the season with injury. No other coach in the league would have magically elevated this team to being a playoff team, regardless of what the Vogel haters say on social media.
You cannot look at the Lakers’ record in a vacuum and simply pin it on Vogel when he is probably the smallest reason why the Lakers struggled this season.