Will new head coach Frank Vogel be able to turn around a Los Angeles Lakers' defense that was only average last season?
When Vogel guided his Indiana Pacers teams to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals matchups against his new star player, LeBron James, and the Miami Heat in 2013 and 2014, the Pacers were built largely on elite defense. Indiana led the NBA in defensive rating in both of those regular seasons.
During two seasons as coach of the Orlando Magic after being fired in Indiana, however, Vogel was unable to recreate that defensive success. The Magic were worse than league average defensively in both of Vogel's seasons at the helm.
Which is a more telling indicator of how the Lakers might perform under Vogel? Let's take a look.