Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has received nothing but praise since being hired during the 2019 NBA offseason.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and several other players have publicly stated their respect for Vogel and it’s that trust they have in him that has contributed to them having the Western Conference’s best record at 41-12.
At the start, many weren’t sure if Vogel was the right person for this job, mostly due to the messy head coaching search that got him hired in the first place as well as the insistence that assistant coach Jason Kidd be on his staff. However, Vogel brought in a mindset of hard work and trust that has singlehandedly restored order to the Lakers.
James knew the type of head coach Vogel was from the start, reminiscing on his days going against him when he was the head coach of an Indiana Pacers team that met his Miami Heat in two Eastern Conference Finals. It was Vogel’s preparation and dedication that formed respect from James that has carried to this day.
“I already respected Frank just from a competitive standpoint, and when I was in Miami competing versus the Indiana Pacers teams,” James revealed.
“You saw how they were always prepared. They were dedicated to their game plan. They were always ready for our matchups every time we played them. The battles we had versus those teams in Indiana. Didn’t need to have a level of respect because it was already there from the jump.”
James and Vogel have had an excellent relationship during the 2019-20 NBA season as the head coach has always been open with his player, communicating with him about everything and allowing him to have a say.
More so than many other head coaches in this league, Vogel has figured out the balance between giving his All-Star players some extra leeway while also keeping the respect of the role players. Everyone from James down to Jared Dudley has immense praise for Vogel.
Hopefully, this trust that Vogel has built with the players can help lead them to winning it all in the 2020 NBA Finals.
