Suns coach Frank Vogel to stick to his blueprint for success - ESPN

PHOENIX — Frank Vogel led the Lakers to an NBA title in his first season in Los Angeles by finding a way to mesh the skills of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The veteran coach is now in a similar situation in the desert, where he takes over a Phoenix Suns team led by stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

The blueprint is there. Vogel just needs to make the pieces fit.

«The first thing I can apply is direct belief,» Vogel said Tuesday during his introductory news conference. «Now because I've done it, I've been a part of it. If the talent is in place, that you can galvanize a group and take the league by storm.»

Vogel did just that with James and Davis, leading a team that went 37-45 the year before to the franchise's 17th NBA title in the Florida pandemic bubble.

Vogel's new team is already on the rise.

Monty Williams took over a team that won 19 games in 2018-19 and guided it to the NBA Finals within two years.

When two embarrassing playoff exits followed — Phoenix trailed by 30 at halftime in both home losses — new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones decided a change was needed. The Suns fired Williams on May 13 after four successful seasons, hoping a change in message could get the franchise back near the pinnacle.

«I just felt we needed an injection of a different voice, a different energy. It's really that simple,» Jones said. «And as we evaluated where we were and where we wanted to go, we just saw a gap and we needed to fill it.»

Vogel takes over a roster in flux.

Booker, one of the league's best scorers, will be back. So will Durant, a 13-time All-Star.

Point guard Chris Paul was the cog the Suns appeared to missing when he joined the franchise in 2020, leading Phoenix to the NBA Finals