The Los Angeles Lakers had an incredibly disappointing season in LeBron James' first year with the club, as they won just 37 games and missed the playoffs, marking the first time that a James-led team failed to qualify for the postseason since his second year in the league back in 2005.
The Lakers feel that part of the solution to a better second season in the LeBron era is hiring Frank Vogel as head coach, and Vogel, who coached again James in the playoffs quite a bit during his time with the Indiana Pacers, says he “can't wait” to work with him, per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints.
Vogel added that he expects big things from James next season:
Article Continues Below“I expect us to see one hell of a bounce-back season from LeBron James,” said Vogel, per Ward.
Of course, it's not like James had a bad season. After all, the four-time MVP averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals over 35.2 minutes per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the floor, 33.9 percent from 3-point range and 66.5 percent from the free-throw line.
However, James played in just 55 games and missed over a month between December and January with a groin injury, the first time LeBron missed extensive time with an injury throughout his 16-year NBA career.
The 34-year-old also alienated his young teammates on the Lakers during the season, as he made it no secret that he wanted Los Angeles to trade them for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis.
This caused friction in the locker room, which played a role in LA's major struggles once James returned from his injury.