LeBron James and Lakers teammates say Frank Vogel’s scouting reports on opposing teams going into the Playoffs were very good.
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LeBron James is truly a ‘once in a generation type player’ and now, upon claiming his 4th NBA title with a different team for the 3rd time, it does bring into question how important is the coaching staff surrounding LeBron.
It seems as though acquiring James to be a part of a roster is a free ticket to the NBA Finals, no matter who is coaching the team, as he has made the Finals in 9 out of 10 times in the past 10 years.
So when Frank Vogel, the man who the Orlando Magic fired in 2018, was named the Lakers new Head Coach in the 2019 offseason, it didn’t turn too many heads as everyone assumed LeBron would be in the Finals regardless.
Jared Dudley and LeBron James give props to Vogel
In a recent interview on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Jared Dudley explained how, despite the criticism the Lakers front office received for hiring Frank Vogel, Vogel was an integral part if breaking down defenses in the Playoffs.
Dudley said, “Preparation was top tier. There were a couple film sessions during the Portland series on Dame and CJ and how we were going to play the scouting report and I remember LeBron clapping it up like “That’s a hell of a scout, a hell of a job.”
The Lakers, with their size and depth were known as defensive stoppers this season and this is largely due to Frank Vogel figuring the spacing for when 2 bigs are on the floor.
Vogel has been an integral part of the Lakers championship and has in some ways, proven that LeBron James does need a competent Head Coach to win it all in a season.
