Orlando Magic: Examining The Hiring Of Frank Vogel
The Orlando Magic have agreed to a deal to make Frank Vogel their new head coach. What does this move mean for them going forward?
Just a week after the surprise resignation of former head coach Scott Skiles, the Orlando Magic have found their new head coach in Frank Vogel.
In a deal that was originally reported by Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and later ESPN, the team and the former Indiana Pacers head coach agreed to a deal in principle early Thursday afternoon that is worth $22 million over four years.
It’s certainly a quick turnaround for the team, but not as quick for Vogel as he had been strongly linked to many of the various head coaching positions that were or are open after being “let go” by the Pacers earlier in the month.
Even though the dust is still settling for both the Magic and Vogel, the move already puts Orlando in a better position for many reasons than they have been in quite some time.
For one, it’s no secret the Magic have been at a standstill over the last few years.
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Despite the promising development of their key players like Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic, the Magic haven’t had the right head coach to lead them in the right direction.
Just this season, they thought Skiles would be the man to bring them out of their Groundhog Day-like funk and reach the playoffs, but that eventually soured after a hot start to the season.
With Vogel now on board, it’s very likely that the development of the Magic’s younger players will continue, but with the positive results that could lead them back to the postseason.
Secondly, the area of concern Vogel will instantly address for the Magic is their defense.
Over his tenure in Indiana, Vogel built a defensive identity in each of his Pacers teams, some of which included players that didn’t have a strong defensive reputation. As a result, the Pacers ranked as a top-10 defense in every full season under Vogel’s tenure.
For Orlando, it’s been the opposite the last few seasons. That’s not particularly surprising as the team has been stuck in rebuilding mode since the departure of Dwight Howard, but the Magic have struggled to create a consistent defense under their previous coaches.
While some of the Magic’s current pieces haven’t meshed well in past years, Vogel’s inheriting a solid roster that could combine to make a top-rated defense as soon as next year.
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With that being said, how the Magic’s roster will look by the time training camp starts is a mystery at this point.
Between the expiring contracts from veterans like Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings, as well as players like Evan Fournier and Andrew Nicholson entering restricted free agency, the Magic have to prioritize who they would like back for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, the Magic have plenty of cap space to make an unexpected run at one of the bigger names entering free agency this offseason (the Magic could have as much as $52 million in cap space this summer).
Whether Vogel’s presence bolsters the Magic’s chances to bring in a top-tier free agent remains to be seen, but it certainly sends a positive message for where they want to go in the future.
Overall, the hiring of Vogel is a definitive upgrade for the Magic. Vogel’s work as a head coach speaks for itself and with the Magic wanting to get past the ground floor of their ongoing rebuild, there wasn’t a better candidate to get them out of neutral than him.
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There are plenty of big questions left for the Magic to answer going forward, but the most important move for their future has already been decided.