“It’s frustrating to see where we’re at, but I know where it’s going to get to” - Frank Vogel on the lengthy process that it takes to build the LA Lakers defense
LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has said that the team's defensive failings this season have been frustrating.
The Lakers have made a disastrous start to the season, losing three of their opening six games, with their defense proving to be the weak link. With a better defensive performance, the 17-time champions returned to winning ways against the Cleveland Cavaliers, though.
LA held the Cavs to a lower total, and conceded fewer points in the paint, with Anthony Davis looking more like himself with three blocks. The Lakers also didn't concede easy opportunities in the paint like they did in the game against the Thunder.
Coach Frank Vogel, in a recent interview, said that despite his team's early woes in defense, things should improve in the future. According to the LA Times' Dan Woike, Vogel compared building the Lakers defense as akin to constructing a house. He said that the process could be annoying and frustrating, but the end result is often a beautiful one.
“We’re like building a house," said Vogel. "You know, you’re building a house, or you’re putting on an addition, you got all these construction workers in your house, and it’s a pain, and there’s plastic up and sawdust, and it’s a pain ...,."
"But you keep saying to yourself: ‘When this is done, it’s going to be great’. You know what I mean? That’s where we’re at right now. Like, it’s frustrating to see where we’re at, but I know where it’s going to get to. And we’re excited,” added Vogel.
Frank Vogel has talked about the lengthy process of building the Lakers' defense and his belief that it will work. It's been mostly a concept, but after Friday, there's finally a little evidence latimes.com/sports/lakers/…
Coach Frank Vogel must have been incensed with the way the Lakers started out the campaign. That is especially because Vogel is a defensive-minded coach who has developed multiple top-five defenses in Indiana and LA. Fortunately, the Lakers have an all-time defensive lynchpin in Anthony Davis and one of the best defensive-minded coaches in Frank Vogel to turn things around.
Can Frank Vogel help the LA Lakers mask their defensive inefficiencies?
The Lakers once had a top-five defense that stifled the best of offenses, giving them a good chance to come out victorious almost every night. After losing key pieces such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso this summer, their defense has suffered.
Vogel's defense depended on the likes of Caruso, Bradley and KCP to hound opposition players in the perimeter. They channeled them towards dominant interior defenders such as Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard who gobbled up the ball. The fear of running into the likes of AD and Howard forced opposition players to make careless mistakes, which the Lakers took advantage of on the counter.
Things, though, have drastically changed this season. The Lakers are feeling the after-effects of letting valuable pieces go, as they prioritized offensive output this offseason. The Lakers are now languishing at the bottom in most defensive stats, such as defensive ratings and points conceded in the paint.
The Lakers defense is so bad and LeBron is not trying on defense again https://t.co/uzsNAlom8G
Frank Vogel has a huge task on his hand, but considering his pedigree, he should get the job done. Moreover, the return of players such as Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza should go a long way to help the Lakers defense become elite once again.
It is too soon to press the panic button yet, as the Lakers have ample time to bounce back to their defensive best.
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