Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel confident they can claim championship with their defense: "I think we do"
Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel is confident about the team's chances of winning their first NBA championship next season. Vogel, who was hired to replace Monty Williams, has preached defense his entire career and will look to instill it in another championship-caliber roster.
On SiriusXM Radio, Justine Termine and Frank Isola asked Vogel about the Suns' chances of winning the title. The 50-year-old coach had a positive response and pointed out DeAndre Ayton as a key player to make that happen.
"I think we do," Vogel said. "We're definitely more offensively talented than defensively talented on this team. There's no doubt about that. But if the big fella plays this year the way I think he can play and really anchors our defense. I think we can have guys really scrambling around the perimeter.
"Flying around and competing on the basketball knowing that they got that giant behind them ready to block shots, rebound and get us out on the break. I think we have a good chance to be strong on both sides of the ball."
Justin: Do you have a good enough defense to compete for a title?
Frank Vogel: “I think we do”
The @Suns new Head Coach talks defense with @TermineRadio & @TheFrankIsola at NBA Summer League https://t.co/AFUIKn1Yj4
It's not the first time Frank Vogel has talked defense and DeAndre Ayton as the keys to the Phoenix Suns' success next season. Vogel told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic earlier this week that he plans to unlock Ayton's defensive potential.
"He can be a big-time deterrent," Vogel said. "There's still areas that he can grow offensively but I'm intent on really connecting with him and restoring him to an All-Star level player.
"I've always had elite rim protectors, and you can get the job done without that. But boy when you got a guy like that in front of the basket deterring everything that comes to the rim, you just get stronger in everything."
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Can Phoenix Suns play defense?
The Phoenix Suns won't have any problems scoring the ball next season with players like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the roster. The Suns also have good shooters off the bench like Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe.
However, the main problem for the Suns will be their defense. DeAndre Ayton is not known for his defense, and Durant is no longer the defensive player he once was when he was with the Golden State Warriors.
The good news for the Suns is that they have hired Frank Vogel, a defensive-minded head coach. Vogel's 2020 LA Lakers were a great defensive team and won the title. It will be interesting to see if the coach can motivate his roster enough to play defense as Phoenix eyes its first championship.
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