Frank Vogel appears to be going full high school basketball coach mode after his team’s latest loss.
The Los Angeles Lakers head coach Vogel announced at practice on Monday that every player would have to make 25 free throws before finishing their day’s work, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
That sounds a lot like a punishment for the Lakers players, especially after free throws hurt them in their last game against the Golden State Warriors, which they lost 117-115. LeBron James received the brunt of the criticism for missing from the line late when the Lakers had a chance to tie the game. But the team as a whole missed 11 free throws, which was especially costly in an eventual two-point loss.
Struggles at the stripe have been a trend for the Lakers this season, as they are the second-worst team in the league from the free-throw line at 72.2 percent (only the Houston Rockets are worst at 71.4 percent). The Lakers’ starting lineup is almost entirely under 75 percent from the line too. James is shooting 74.6 percent, Anthony Davis is at 70.7 percent, Stanley Johnson shoots 67.7 percent, and Russell Westbrook is at 67.0 percent. That does not even account for the woes of infamously poor free-throw shooters Dwight Howard (61.2 percent) and DeAndre Jordan (48.0 percent).
As for Vogel, who has sat on the hot seat for most of the season, he has been taking on a more no-nonsense approach with the team lately. Forcing them to address their dismal foul shooting seems to fall into that category too.
Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
