Leading NBA insider believes Suns' Frank Vogel’s job is in jeopardy after just one disappointing season

The Phoenix Suns hired Frank Vogel in the summer of 2023 to lead a team full of stars, namely Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. While the team was expected to have defensive letdowns, what fans witnessed in the first three games of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves has been just appalling.

The Suns are down 3-0 and host Minnesota on Sunday to save a possible sweep. Amid Phoenix's disappointing season, change was expected to come soon. It might come in the way of a coaching change, as per ESPN's NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. On NBA Countdown, he said:

"Despite all the roster limitations that Mike just described, it's an increaisng belief around the league that Frank Vogel's job is in peril. If this team loses, especially as abruptly as they might in a sweep, as despirited as they looked in Game 3.

"When you have this kind of a payroll, these kind of expectations, you have got to not only show more in the first round, you got to get out of the first round. Losing in six last year to Denver in the second round cost Monty Williams his job."

Woj added:

"You have seen Matt Ishbia, the owner, he has made rapid change in his short tenure as owner. Frank Vogel's job very much may be in jeopardy."

While it's too soon to predict Vogel's future, with the Phoenix Suns still battling it out in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, a loss on Sunday could lead to a very different discussion in the upcoming week.

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How did Frank Vogel fare in his first season with Phoenix Suns?

The Suns finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, good enough for sixth in the Western Conference. While Frank Vogel was tasked with the enviable job of leading a team of three legitimate stars, the result so far has been far from what was expected.

However, putting the blame on Vogel is unfair, as regular injury concerns to Bradley Beal and Devin Booker meant that the coach had to make do with a roster bereft of depth. Beal played only 53 games, while Booker missed 14.

Nevertheless, Vogel deserves some criticism for Phoenix's playoff performance. A team with such offensive talent should be able to score. The Suns scored 95, 93 and 109 points in the three games so far. That's simply not going to win you games, and that's exactly what has happened so far.