It’s been an eventful month filled with plenty of drama for Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Lakers. But now that he’s been officially announced as the next head coach in L.A., Vogel has had time to settle in and get to work–specifically in the film room. Since accepting the position in Los Angeles, Vogel has been studying each of the players on the Lakers current roster. Recently, he shared his thoughts about the young core that includes Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart. Along with offering his assessment of their individual games, Vogel also provided his early impressions of LeBron James.
The Lakers coach specifically spoke about what he believes is different about LeBron now as a player as opposed to who he was earlier on in his career. He also talked about James’ shot-making ability and contrasted that with the time he spent battling LeBron and the Miami Heat as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Vogel provided the following commentary to Lakers.com who shared the video interview on Twitter.
“In terms of what’s different about LeBron James now versus then is players like that grow throughout their career,” Vogel told Lakers.com. “They develop a wisdom on the basketball court where everything is a little slower for them mentally than it is for everyone else who’s speeding up and frenetic, and you can see that with his game.
“At this point in his career, he just recognizes things before they even happen and is a step above everyone else. His shot-making has really grown. It’s probably much stronger now than it was in Miami in terms of shooting with range and he’s going to be poised for a great bounce-back year.”
In terms of shooting with range, James shot 34% from three during the 55 games he played for the Lakers last season compared to 37% during his four seasons in Miami. However, the outside shot has certainly become more of a part of LeBron’s arsenal recently. While averaging 27.4 points per game this past year, James attempted 5.9 three-pointers per contest. During those years in Miami that Vogel referenced, he only attempted 3.4 triples per game while averaging 26.9 points.
