Los Angeles Lakers have seamlessly teamed LeBron James, Anthony Davis
1. Defensive-minded head coach
When the Los Angeles Lakers opted to replace Luke Walton with Frank Vogel, the decision wasn’t exactly met with great optimism in some media outlets. Part of the reason for this was because Vogel had lost more games than Walton during his previous head coaching stop.
The Lakers won 37 games in Walton’s last season, while Vogel’s Orlando Magic squad produced just 25 victories in his final season with the team.
Despite winning just 54 games during his two-year tenure with the Magic, Vogel is a defensive-minded coach. In fact, during his time with the Indiana Pacers, that ball club was the top defensive team in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Additionally, the Pacers finished seventh and third in defense, respectively, in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
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Fortunately, Vogel has implemented that same defensive mindset with this roster as well, and the numbers certainly back that up. Last season, Los Angeles ranked 21st in points allowed and 12th in defensive rating.
This season, the Lakers are seventh in points allowed and they have the third-best defensive rating in the association. Whether this roster is the best defensive group that Vogel has coached remains to seen.
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What is a certainty is that the Lakers have improved from a defensive standpoint, which will bode well for them not only for the rest of the season but in the playoffs as well.