Every situation is different. Every season is different. Every roster is different.
James Jones and the Phoenix Suns hired Frank Vogel this past offseason and tasked him with a difficult assignment: to add a defensive element to an offensively top-heavy roster that has 13 new players. Say that five times fast.
Given Vogel’s history — during his 10 full seasons coaching in the NBA, his teams have finished in the top 10 defensively seven times — it appeared to be an ideal fit for what the Suns were seeking. He has been through rebuilds before.
“Frank Vogel was the guy,” Mat Ishbia stated following his hiring, “and I knew it from the minute he walked out of the room after doing the two to three-hour interview we spent time with that he was the guy. The type of person he is, first: a leader, a culture guy, a communicator, a championship pedigree. He’s won and he’s also won with two superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he’s also won very recently.
The Suns have sputtered out of the gate, going 6-6 to start the 2023-24 campaign. Every situation, season, and roster is different and Vogel has had to navigate the variables that this year’s Suns have been battling. Superstar injuries are atop that list, lack of continuity on offense and defense close behind.
Bradley Beal has played in 3 games and is currently out for the foreseeable future with a strain in his lower back. Devin Booker has missed 8 games to begin the season. The team has 13 new players rostered. That is plenty to deal with at the start of a highly anticipated season.
The task that lies before Vogel is how to build that chemistry while surviving primary player dings, bruises, strains, and missed games. James Jones built the engine with name-brand parts, but ultimately it is Frank Vogel’s job to pop the clutch and drive the car.
With the 6-6 start, it got me a-thinkin’: How has Frank Vogel’s first 12 games faired throughout his coaching career?
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