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Nets: Mike D’Antoni departure leaves troubling assistant void

ByAdam Weinrib|
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 24: Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets reacts during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 24, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 24: Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets reacts during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 24, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

In 2021-22, it appears the Brooklyn Nets might really be coached by Steve Nash.

Nash’s transition to the head role was made much easier by the presence of Mike D’Antoni, the most overqualified assistant in the NBA as a former head coach of many of the league’s most prominent 2010s contenders.

Having Jacque Vaughn, the team’s recent interim head coach in the bubble, as well as the vaunted Ime Udoka stalking the sidelines didn’t hurt either.

When tipoff arrives on next season, though, Vaughn will be the last man standing by Nash’s side as he attempts to navigate the pressure of having the best Big 3 in NBA history and entering Year 2 somehow without a ring.

D’Antoni chose to step away from the sidelines on Wednesday a few weeks after formally losing the head coaching job in Portland, and he’ll continue to reevaluate his options without dripping competence on Nash from close range.

Brooklyn Nets trusted assistant Mike D’Antoni is gone.

So … what next?

Brooklyn assembled an All-Star group of assistants last year in Nash’s first season, and they’d better hope he absorbed enough of their knowledge, as well as the big-game experience he gleaned from his team’s seven-game showdown with the eventual NBA champions.

The addition of David Vanterpool, one of Kyrie Irving’s favorite assistants and a Dame Lillard confidant, might help significantly, but Vanterpool has never been a head coach in this league. He brings an up-and-comer’s skill set, not the advanced pedigree of a veteran leader.

And if you doubt what D’Antoni brought to the table last year, a brief rundown of the Nets concepts that felt very MDA-influenced will help you realize exactly how impactful he was.

Much of Steve Nash’s safety net will be gone when the Avengers reassemble in Brooklyn to take another crack at this, and though it makes very little sense, the Big 3’s long-term future is still somewhat uncertain.

Another bad break or two, and Nash could be looking at a ringless pair of seasons with the best trio ever assembled … without a succession plan, unless D’Antoni would ever want to waddle back.

Udoka’s coming from within the division, too. Perilous waters.