NBA Coaches Hot Seat Watch: 5 coaches at risk of being fired

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 15: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center on November 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

NBA Coaches Seat Index: Frank Vogel, Los Angeles Lakers

2021-22 Record: 12-12

Record with franchise: 106-61 (63.5 percent) over three seasons

Frank Vogel was hired to give a team built around the twin stars of LeBron James and Anthony Davis a defensive identity, and he did just that. The Los Angeles Lakers had the league’s third-best defensive rating in 2019-20 and the best last year. In his first season, he found the right mix of veterans to rotate around James and Davis and the Lakers hoisted the championship in 2020.

This season has been a different story, as the Lakers have stumbled out to a 12-12 record against a very easy schedule. The defense has been mediocre, ranking 16th in the league, much closer to 30th than to the first-place Golden State Warriors. You could point to injuries as the culprit, and that’s certainly a factor, but this team had injuries to both stars last season and still defended at a high level.

The reason for the worse results this year is almost certainly due to personnel. Many of those veterans who Vogel used to buoy the defense last season and stay afloat without Davis and James were sent packing this offseason.

This was either in a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook or in cost-saving measures. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Schroder, and Alex Caruso are all gone, replaced largely by washed-up veterans and offense-first players.

The reality of a poor summer of personnel moves by the front office doesn’t lessen the weight of expectations on Vogel. He is coaching the league’s most prominent franchise, with an aging superstar in LeBron James who only has so much time left to compete for another title. Vogel has coaxed a career rejuvenation out of Carmelo Anthony, but he is a defensive sieve, and he doesn’t have many options left to him.

The Lakers are supposed to compete for a title. Vogel has already won this team one, so he doesn’t have a short leash, but the seat is absolutely heating up for him. If the Lakers fail to even make the playoffs, after a first-round exit last season, and he could feel the heat.

Seat Index: 6.5 (like when your car’s seat heaters are on high during the summer)