The Los Angeles Lakers officially introduced head coach Frank Vogel recently and he impressed with his wise words on the state of the organization as a whole.
From an organizational standpoint, Vogel spoke about a feeling of togetherness and how that might bring some stability back to the front office. However, it’s Vogel’s on-the-court words that truly resonated with the fanbase.
Vogel spoke about having an analytics-based approach to the 2019-20 NBA season.
“We have a strong plan about how we’re going to get this job done. Starting with Rob’s plan of how he’s going to continue building the roster, how we’re going to continue to grow the roster,” Vogel said with the Lakers currently have just seven players under contract.
“But I’ve got a strong plan about how we’re going to play with a basketball team. I’m really, really excited about the chance to instill my beliefs of how it’s going to look.”
Vogel does not have a history of being a strong offensive head coach, but it seems that he’s evolved with the game and maybe even better suited to coach offenses today than he was with the Indiana Pacers.
“Offensively, like I said, playing for each other, having an analytics-based approach to playing the game outside-in, using the three-point line and the space that creates to open up a really strong basket-attacking team.”
The Lakers will obviously need to sign some three-point shooters to make this plan fully effective, but there’s no doubting the basket-attacking abilities of the roster.
Defense — which is Vogel’s strong suit — is something he believes starts from the paint and spreads out from there.
“Defensively, building the defense from the inside-out. With all the talk about the three-point line, still most important to build your defense inside to out. The basket is still a top priority, the paint is still the top priority. And then we will spray out and guard the three-point line. The plan is exciting, we’re excited about it.”
This will again require the Lakers to do some work in free agency, getting a center that can be a reliable rim protector. That may mean re-signing JaVale McGee which would be perfectly fine, but it could allow them to do some searching to find a perfect fit alongside LeBron James on a cheap deal.
If Vogel can execute this plan to the best of his ability, this is a team that will do a lot better than they did under former head coach Luke Walton’s schemes. Vogel’s analytics-based approach is absolutely one the fanbase should be excited about, especially with the greatest player in the world still under contract.
