Frank Vogel is a safe, obvious and smart hire as new Phoenix Suns coach
Frank Vogel is a good hire for the Suns.
He’s a safe pick. Maybe even an obvious pick. But safe and obvious decisions have turned the Suns from a joke of a franchise into a legitimate title contender over the last four years.
The widely expected Vogel hire, in news that was first reported by ESPN on Friday, also shows how far the Suns have come recently.
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A championship-caliber coach would never have come to Phoenix before James Jones brought in Monty Williams to establish a winning culture.
The Suns had a chance to make a bold move by elevating assistant Kevin Young. All indications are that Young will make a great coach one day, especially with the right players around him.
But while Young might be great in the future, Vogel has been great already.
He first showed what he could do with a veteran roster in Indiana a decade ago. And he won a title with the Lakers in 2020.
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Vogel knows how to coach big men. This means it’s put-up-or-shut-up time for Deandre Ayton.
Vogel knows how to coach stars. This means he won’t create roadblocks for Devin Booker or Kevin Durant.
And most of all, he knows defense. This is going to be of utmost importance going forward in a Western Conference where championship aspirations will run through Denver and Golden State for the foreseeable future.
Booker and Durant have always been better defensive players than they’ve gotten credit for. And Chris Paul retains a knack for getting steals and deflections in key moments, even if he can’t create problems for ballhandlers on every possession like he used to.
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Ayton needs to learn more about positioning and consistency. Early success will lead to increased effort and production as a defensive rebounder.
The Vogel hire now puts pressure on Jones to fill in talent around the Core Four (assuming Ayton and Paul return for next season.)
Vogel had success with true, anchor-style big men in Roy Hibbert and Dwight Howard.
Are any guys like that available? If Jones can find one, it would allow Ayton to roam more on both ends of the floor, a style that suited him well in his lone season in college. A best-case scenario, would allow Ayton to play more like a younger Anthony Davis.
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Or can Vogel turn Ayton into a true post presence and bruising rim protector? Ayton would need to bulk up to get ready, and he’d have to embrace the role in a way that he hasn’t before.
Either way, hiring Vogel sets up plenty of possibilities for the immediate future of the Phoenix Suns, and all of them look good.
Vogel is a safe hire. And he’s an obvious hire.
But, ultimately, he’s a smart hire.
Smart decisions have turned the Suns from a joke to a contender; it stands to reason that safe, obvious and smart decisions are the best way to try to deliver a title to fans in Phoenix.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Frank Vogel is a safe, obvious and smart hire for Phoenix Suns
