Outside of defense or attacking the rim, there may not be an element of basketball that Frank Vogel has more frequently talked up the value of during his two-plus years with the Lakers than “swag.” Vogel has used the term with the frequency of a middle-aged dad who just learned a cool new slang word from his teenager, most memorably to describe the impact of Rajon Rondo on multiple occasions.
But in terms of his appreciation for the nebulous concept of swag, Vogel may have found his match in another veteran guard on the roster: Russell Westbrook, who said after the team’s Friday night win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that no matter if the team is playing good or bad, they have to play with what Merriam Webster defines as “stylish confidence.