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.

More: Phoenix Suns set to hire Frank Vogel as new head coach on five-year, $31M deal

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.

Who is Frank Vogel?: 5 things to know about new Phoenix Suns head coach

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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Frank Vogel had success coaching NBA star LeBron James.

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…


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Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2023-06-02 19:36:38

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