Frank Vogel is back in the NBA, this time as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. And he could be coming for some of his former Los Angeles Lakers staff.
Lakers reporter Dan Woike named three staff members who were retained by the Lakers after Vogel was fired last year. Those three staff members are: Phil Handy, Jon Pastorek and Dru Anthrop.
Phil Handy, development coach/assistant Jon Pastorek and video coordinator Dru Anthrop all were retained after Vogel’s dismissal and are obviously names to watch as Vogel assembles his staff. https://t.co/hsBfkkrSJJ
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 2, 2023
Handy is an assistant coach and player development trainer. Pastorek is a player development coach. And Anthrop is a video coordinator for the team.
Vogel will have to fill out his coaching staff in Phoenix and could reach out to many of the people whom he hired with the Lakers. If he offers promotions and/or more money, he might be able to convince some of those staff members to leave.
With the Suns, Vogel will be taking over a team that has been one of the best in the Western Conference the last three seasons. Phoenix reached the NBA Finals in 2021 and then had the best record in the regular season the year after that. They pulled off a big move to land Kevin Durant in a February trade and are hoping Vogel will be able to maximize their talent.
