Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has announced a new addition to his coaching staff for the 2024-2025 NBA season. During his media availability on October 2, Kidd announced that Frank Vogel will join the team as a consultant, adding two-and-a-half decades of experience as an assistant and head coach in the league.
Kidd is no stranger to Vogel, having served as his assistant coach from 2019 to 2021 while Vogel led the Los Angeles Lakers. Kidd, of course, left that post to become head coach in Dallas, while Vogel remained in Los Angeles for another season. Kidd clearly respects Vogel. “Being able to work for Frank was something that helped me with my coaching,” Kidd explained.
He remarked that “it took a lot of begging” to get Vogel into the fold. My colleague Tyler Edsel of Mavs Moneyball reported on the acquisition in his coverage of Training Camp Day 2, but it’s worth digging deeper into Vogel’s background to see what he brings to a Mavericks club looking to make another deep run.
Where It Started
Vogel began his coaching career at the age of 28 when he joined the Boston Celtics as an assistant. After three seasons, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers as a season-long assistant before moving to the Indiana Pacers. Vogel was an assistant coach for the Pacers from 2007 until 2008 to a portion of 2010-2011 under head coach Jim O’Brien (who he knew well from their mutual tenure in Boston and Philadelphia). Following O’Brien’s firing during the 2010-11 season, Vogel was named interim head coach. Despite the Pacers’ 37-45 record, Vogel helped them to their first playoff berth in four seasons. Vogel guided the Pacers to the playoffs four times in his five full seasons as head coach, twice reaching the Eastern Conference finals. Vogel joined the Lakers following a much less impressive two-season stint with the Orlando Magic. He spent three seasons with Los Angeles, guiding the team to the 2020 NBA Championship. Following a year off from coaching, he most recently coached the Phoenix Suns. 
A single season. Prior to being signed by the Suns, he was at least flirting with the Mavericks, having spent some time with them during training camp in 2022. Defense First, Vogel’s defensive skills were a key factor in his recruitment to Dallas. Statmuse claims that throughout his tenure as head coach, his teams had the greatest defense (by defensive rating) three times: twice with the Pacers and once with the Lakers. Aside from his stint with the Magic and his final season with the Lakers, his teams were consistently ranked in the top ten in defensive rating.
The Mavericks ranked roughly in the center of the pack in terms of defensive rating.
past season, at 15 (tied for 14,.2 away from tying for 11). They don’t have far to go to break into the top ten, all else being equal, and Vogel can undoubtedly assist them there. This is especially true if Dereck Lively performs as predicted and the team defense we witnessed following the trades of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford becomes even more cohesive after a complete training camp together. The Mavericks offense was already extremely effective and is expected to increase this year with the addition of Klay Thompson and organic growth. If they can defend in the elite echelon, they will be able to cause problems for their opponents./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73370994/2153584996.0.jpg)
What’s next?
I see nothing but good coming from this hire. Vogel has shown to be an exceptionally effective defensive coach. With Kidd on his side, he won the 2019-2020 NBA Championship. Current Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley and current Mavericks player Markieff Morris both played for Vogel that year, so there should be plenty of synergy and trust. There is little information about Vogel’s contract length, but I believe that just keeps everyone happy: the team gains the expertise of another head coach, and Vogel has an easier transition to a head coaching vacancy if one arises. Speculation aside, having Vogel on the team for as long as he stays should benefit the Mavericks. We frequently look at what a new coaching hiring will do
the players, but we should also consider what he can do for the other coaches. Kidd has already emphasized how much he has learned from Vogel, and coaches like as Dudley, Sean Sweeney, and others are certain to benefit from having Vogel around. The Mavericks appear to have finally found the coach they had been looking for in years, and he should bring a lot to the table this season and maybe beyond. Jason Kidd expressed it best. “Hopefully, we can win another title together.”
Leave a Reply