The Los Angeles Lakers’ disastrous season has finally found some resolution in terms of them knowing their campaign ends with the 82 games of the regular season. The Lakers are confirmed to finish 11th in the Western Conference, one spot out of the play-in tournament.
Head coach Frank Vogel will most likely not be returning to the team next season, with reports suggesting he will be fired over the summer. With nothing really to lose, Vogel went in on the roster he had and the effort they played with while in conversation with The Athletic.
Vogel spoke about many things, but he was a little upset about the defensive struggles the team has had, and rationalized it by saying the pieces had bad defensive habits and that it didn’t all come together.
Frank Vogel was nearly fired after a 33-point loss in January.
“It’s not fun to have those reports hanging over your head or seeing it everywhere you look.”
The Lakers head coach reflects on the 2021-22 season.
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“The habit building, there was a lot to make up with,” Vogel said. “Guys that did not have great defensive habits. You know what I mean? So you coach it on a daily basis and push them to be accountable. But there was just a lot to overcome with this year’s team.”
Vogel has made a career out of being a very strong defense-minded coach. During his first two seasons in LA, the Lakers were top three in defense in 2020 and were the best last season. This is despite missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis for large chunks of last season. Vogel also talked about trying to make everyone fit offensively meant defense was sacrificed.
“The nature of how our offensive pieces fit together didn’t allow us to play with a defensive size and positional size that I typically like to have to give us that type of defensive success,” Vogel said. “So there were a lot more smaller lineups to open up the floor because of how our offensive pieces fit. Trying to make the offense work compromised our defense directly.”
The Lakers’ coaching was a mess this season, but it was a mess prompted by odd roster building and injuries.
With Vogel most likely on his way out, it will be interesting to see how the Lakers pivot to be competitive next year.
