The Los Angeles Lakers have started the season with a neutral balance of ten wins and ten losses. A record that is well below the expectations generated during the summer in a team that counts among its ranks LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
Despite the fact that the making of the staff has been in question since last year, neither the main offices nor the staff will pay for the broken dishes in the event of a possible catastrophe. In fact, journalist Marc Stein has reported that Frank Vogel’s position at the helm of the Lakers bench has begun to be questioned.
Various rumors among NBA coaches suggest that Vogel’s job security is in jeopardy. Stein himself points out that a transfer is usually the first adjustment to consider, although, this time, the Lakers have very limited room for maneuver with respect to their players.
Hence, the pressure has fallen exclusively on Vogel, who already led the Indiana Pacers to the Conference Finals and the Lakers themselves to the championship in 2020. Curiously, the gold and purple team is shipwrecked in defense, the coach’s main virtue: they are conceding 108.5 points per hundred possessions, 12th worst record in the league.
However, there are other facets that have also conditioned the start of the Lakers course: from the difficulty to add Russell Westbrook to the offensive mix until the eight games LeBron missed through injury.
Stein emphasizes that it is still too early to speak of an imminent dismissal, but it does affect the label of hot seat if positive results do not start to occur on a regular basis.
(Cover photo by Maddie Malhotra / Getty Images)
