It’s a story that has now been thankfully put in the background of the Los Angeles Lakers season, rather than the forefront, that LeBron James has a very strong relationship with Lakers assistant coach and NBA Hall of Famer Jason Kidd. A big reason for that is the exceptional job done so far this year by head coach Frank Vogel, who according to multiple reports, was neither L.A.’s first or second choice.
Vogel’s success through the first half of the season was the subject of a new feature from ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz, where Arnovitz did little more digging on the already well-documented respect between James and Kidd. James believes he and Kidd share a one-of-a-kind bond.
One of those primary assistants would be Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, whom two sources have independently said James regards as the only person alive who sees the game of basketball with his level of clarity.
Many were making the connections to LeBron’s relationship with Ty Lue under head coach David Blatt back in LeBron’s second Cleveland stint as a reason why Vogel should be worried about his job. However, Vogel’s defense-first mindset and ability to connect with his stars has put that juicy reality-tv like storyline on the backburner.
With over half of the season done for Los Angeles, they’ve bucked the trend of the franchise as of late, where salacious storylines and speculation overshadowed a sputtering basketball team. They are incredibly competent, fun to watch and everyone seems to be enjoying working together. What a difference a year makes.
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