New Phoenix Suns head coach, Frank Vogel, aims to unite the skills of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant

PHOENIX – Frank Vogel led the Lakers to an NBA title in his first season in Los Angeles by finding a way to unite the skills of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The veteran coach now finds himself in a similar situation in Arizona, where he takes charge of a Phoenix Suns team led by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Vogel just needs to make the pieces fit together.

“The first thing I can apply is direct belief,” Vogel said Tuesday during his introductory news conference. “Now, because I’ve done it, I’ve been a part of it. If the talent is in place, you can propel a group and conquer the league.”

Vogel did just that with James and Davis, leading a team that went 37-45 the year before the franchise’s 17th NBA title in the Florida pandemic bubble.

The Suns fired their former coach Monty Williams on May 13 after four successful seasons, hoping a change in messaging could lead the franchise back to the top.

“I felt like we needed an injection of a different voice, a different energy. It’s really that simple,” general manager James Jones said. “And when we took stock of where we were and where we wanted to go, we just saw a void and needed to fill it.”

The Suns also have to decide whether to keep center Deandre Ayton or trade him.

The 24-year-old has dominated at times, disappeared at others. Ayton faded in the playoffs this year for the second straight season, his averages dipping even before suffering a bruised rib in Game 5 against Denver.

“He can be a great deterrent (defensively) and there are still areas where he can grow offensively,” Vogel said. “I intend to really connect with him and restore him to an All-Star level player.”

Vogel has surrounded himself with proven assistants. David Fizdale was Vogel’s assistant with the Lakers after serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks. He will be joined by Kevin Young, one of the best assistants in the NBA who was a finalist for the job that Vogel ultimately landed.

Vogel is a defensive-minded coach with a successful track record that includes an NBA title and two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals as head coach of the Indiana Pacers.