Brooklyn Nets: Hiring Jamahl Mosley should be a top priority
By Mike Luciano
The Brooklyn Nets not only have to figure out what their roster is going to look like after a very early end to their season, but they need to consider adding a stud assistant coach like former Dallas Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley. Their elite collection of coaches next to Steve Nash took a huge blow.
Ime Udoka, who was brought to Brooklyn after making his name with the 76ers, took a job as the head coach of the Boston Celtics. With Mike D’Antoni having already earned a few head coaching offers, it’s clear that other teams are still interested in adding Brooklyn coaches to their room.
The Nets could replace them with Mosley, who could look to jump ship elsewhere after the Mavericks named Jason Kidd as the successor to Rick Carlisle. If Brooklyn has their eyes set on a potential stud replacement for Udoka, look no further than someone who has earned the respect of Luka Doncic.
Mosley comes from a defensive background, has a wealth of experience, has been proven to get along with star players, and is generating head coach interest around the league. If he becomes available or is not retained by Kidd, Brooklyn should go all out in trying to add him in order to complete yet another loaded coaching staff.
Orlando and Washington have requested permission to interview Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley for their head coaching openings, league sources say.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 27, 2021
Jamahl Mosley could be a very solid Brooklyn Nets assistant coach.
The Nets need to act fast, as Mosley might take a head coaching job before they can pounce on him. The Magic could try to bring him to Orlando as a Steve Clifford replacement, and the Wizards could look to pair him with Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in Washington.
If Mosley still ends up without a gig after that, and assuming that Kidd chooses to wipe the slate clean and bring in his own coaching staff, Mosley would be ideal in Brooklyn. A de facto defensive coordinator for Dallas, Mosley could pair with Jacque Vaughn in order to finally help the defense take pressure off of the offense.
A team led by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden is going to average around 110 points per game, even without a ton of tremendous assistant coaching talent around them. They could use some help on the defensive end from a schematic point of view, and Mosley could be the guy to do it.
While the hiring of Steve Nash shows that past experience is not a pre-requisite, Mosley was around during Carmelo Anthony’s formative years in Denver, the post-LeBron Cavaliers, and the end of Dirk Nowitzki’s reign in Dallas. He’s been all over the map, and that will serve him well if he gets a Brooklyn stamp on his NBA passport.
Mosley has also ended up earning a nomination to the Team USA Select squad as a coach, joining names like Gonzaga mastermind Mark Few and five-time NBA finalist Erik Spoelstra. That’s how high his name is held among league coaching circles.
It may only be one coach, but Udoka has already taken his Nets tenure and use it as a springboard to land one of the premier head coaching jobs in the sport. Why can’t Mosley follow in his footsteps, especially if he is going to fill a very similar role to that of Udoka.
Nash was not brought on to coach the Nets because of his Xs and Os skills. Rather, he can help orchestrate personalities and motivate the team, with his assistant coach brigade helping mitigate some of that learning curve. Even with a year under his belt, a brain trust of Nash, D’Antoni, Vaughn, and Mosley would be a hellacious quartet.
