3 reasons Frank Vogel would be a good fit to be Sixers new coach
The Philadelphia 76ers are looking for a new head coach after moving on from Doc Rivers after three seasons. The Sixers won a bunch of games, but they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals three seasons in a row.
The new coach is going to have move the Sixers closer to their title quest goals. Philadelphia possesses significant talent, but it hasn’t been able to get over the hump that is the second round.
The Sixers have met with former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel who was mentioned as an original potential candidate for the position. Here are three reasons he would be a great fit:
Experience with stars
This is an underrated aspect of Vogel’s candidacy. He has worked with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Paul George which is a big attribute when considering he will have to make the team work with Joel Embiid and, possibly, James Harden.
The Embiid-Harden partnership is already nearly unstoppable on the floor with a deadly pick-and-roll game. Vogel’s Lakers teams were never offensive juggernauts. He tailored the offense around the stars, and let them go to work while the role players played their part. It was the same thing during his time with the Indiana Pacers. That experience with letting stars be themselves would be helpful.
Defensive acumen
Vogel’s teams were stifling on the defensive end. Of course, it helps to have defensive-minded players during his coaching career, but Vogel’s teams in Indiana and Los Angeles were consistently among the top defensive squads in the league.
In Vogel’s first two full seasons with the Pacers, they ranked first in the league in defensive rating each season. Even with all of the injuries Indiana accrued in the 2014-15 season, it was still seventh in defensive rating that season. The following year, the Pacers finishing third. When the Lakers won the title in 2020, they were third in defensive rating, and they were first in the 2020-21 season.
Work with younger players
Sandwiched between coaching veteran teams such as the Pacers and the Lakers, Vogel also coached the Orlando Magic for two seasons, so he has experience with younger guys. The Sixers have younger players who need the court time to develop at the NBA level such as Jaden Springer.
Even while with the Lakers, Vogel was giving time to Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso to help them. In Springer’s case, the Sixers have rotational players in front of him, so it isn’t like Rivers could have just given him time, but, at some point, Springer has to play and Vogel could be helpful in that regard.
