It’s been a slow season for the memes and the jokes about Jason Kidd coming to take Frank Vogel’s job as the Los Angeles Lakers have jumped out to a 24-4 start to the season. LeBron James has been crediting Vogel with instilling a defense-first mindset and Vogel has had nothing but good things to say about Kidd, as well as a very experienced Lakers coaching staff.
With the Lakers visiting the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, where Kidd infamously lept to a new job after coaching the Brooklyn Nets for only one season, the relationship between the two coaches was the focus of a new piece by The Athletic’s Bill Oram, where Vogel says that there is “respect and trust” between the two.
“We’ve joked about it,” a chuckling Vogel told The Athletic on Tuesday night. “There’s a healthy respect and trust. That has really, from Day 1 been a non-issue.”
While the roster shakeup that led to adding Anthony Davis was the main focus of the offseason, the Lakers front office made it a point to have a more experienced coaching staff. A lack of experience on Luke Walton’s coachings staff was one of their main gripes but with a former head coach in Kidd, as well as Lionel Hollins and respected assistant Phil Handy, the Lakers now have a wealth of experience and knowledge. Although some feared it would be combustible, the chemistry has worked out brilliantly for L.A.