Here are three advantages Jacque Vaughn has in the Nets coaching search.
After an exceptional run during the seeding games, the Brooklyn Nets appear to have met their match in the first round of the playoffs. However, their tenacity and grit continues to be the focal talking point among fans, and rightfully so.
The monster underdogs defied the odds and rallied to trim a 30-point deficit in the first half of Game 1 to single digits in the third quarter. Brooklyn ended up getting blown out by the Raptors, but — as the team has done numerous times since arriving in the Bubble — it rebounded to make things competitive the following game.
The final possession proved to be the nail in the coffin as Toronto escaped with a 104-99 victory to take a 2-0 series lead. As demoralizing as those two losses were, fans in Brooklyn would admit that they served as a perfect reminder why interim head coach Jacque Vaughn should be leading way in the team’s coaching search.
Y’all already know its Jacque Vaughn
— Talkin’ Nets (@TalkinNets) August 13, 2020
By now, you should know where we stand in the seemingly never-ending debate about who should lead the Nets once Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving return next season. In our eyes, Vaughn should have nothing more to prove, so here are three advantages he has over other potential candidates.
3. His Adjustments Will Help Durant-Irving Transition
Some might view Vaughn’s lack of experience coaching stars as a blemish that devalues his credibility as a long-term fit, and we have zero tolerance for those scorching takes. He’ll obviously need to prove himself with the likes of Durant and Irving leading the way, but it’s not like he doesn’t share a relationship with Brooklyn’s marquee free agent signings.
Vaughn was serving as an assistant before Irving underwent shoulder surgery, and Durant was spotted sitting on the Nets bench encouraging his teammates for a large chunk of the season post-rehab.
Putting that ridiculous narrative aside, Vaughn’s in-game adjustments have arguably been the most impressive component of his 12-game stint. The 45-year-old has proven he can adapt on the fly, so we hold no doubts he’ll be able to do the same in terms of blending KD and Kyrie into the rotation with potentially more than three months to prepare.