Phil Handy On How Frank Vogel Turned The Lakers Into A Top Defensive Team

Phil Handy recently spoke about Frank Vogel’s defensive mastery during his time coaching the Los Angeles Lakers. Appearing on the 'Podcast P with Paul George', Handy reflected on how Vogel transformed the Lakers into a defensive juggernaut during his tenure.

"Frank for me man, he really gave me a master class on defense, like teaching defense and defensive principles. I was in LA with him we had the number one defense in the league for three years in a row and it's not a fluke." 

"Frank is in my opinion, he knows defense and our team was perfect for his defensive schemes, the way we defended. It was just hard to score against us we always had bigs at the Rim, we had wings that can defend."

When Frank Vogel took over as the Lakers' head coach in the 2019-20 season, he immediately prioritized defense, establishing a system that made scoring against the Lakers incredibly difficult. In that first year, the Lakers finished 3rd in the NBA in defensive rating, posting an impressive 106.1 defensive rating. 

Anchored by Anthony Davis, who was an All-NBA Defensive First Team selection, and aided by the towering presence of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, the Lakers became a force in the paint. On the perimeter, their wings like LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso provided relentless defensive effort, executing Vogel's scheme to perfection.

The result? The Lakers finished with a 52-19 record, securing the top seed in the Western Conference. Their defensive prowess became the bedrock of their championship run, as they stifled elite offensive teams throughout the 2020 playoffs. In the NBA Finals, they neutralized the Miami Heat, winning the series in six games to claim the title.

In the following season, Vogel once again proved his defensive expertise, as the Lakers posted the best defensive rating in the NBA at 106.8. Even with injuries to key players like Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the team maintained its defensive identity, thanks to Vogel's principles of rotations, hustle, and discipline. 

The Lakers ended the season with a 42-30 record, finishing 7th in the West. Despite a valiant effort in the playoffs, the injury-riddled Lakers fell to the Phoenix Suns in the first round in six games.

The 2021-22 season marked a steep decline for the Lakers defensively. After losing key defensive players such as Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma in roster shake-ups, Vogel’s system no longer had the personnel to thrive. The team’s defensive rating plummeted to 21st in the league at 112.8, and the Lakers struggled throughout the season, finishing with a dismal 33-49 record. Missing the playoffs entirely, Vogel was fired following the season.

Vogel was hired as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns for the 2023-24 season, but his tenure ended in disappointment after the Suns were swept in the first round of the playoffs. He is currently serving as a coaching consultant for the Dallas Mavericks.

Phil Handy’s praise for Vogel highlights how well his defensive schemes work when paired with the right personnel. During his first two seasons with the Lakers, Vogel’s system emphasized rim protection, disciplined rotations, and scrappy wing defense—turning Los Angeles into one of the league's hardest teams to score against. 

While roster decisions eventually derailed their success, Vogel’s defensive brilliance remains evident in the Lakers’ 2020 title run and their consistent dominance in his early years.