By Jordan Long
The Brooklyn Nets stand at 21-33, 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks who would be the last seed in the play-in tournament. Brooklyn will start the second half of the season with a new Head Coach, firing Jacque Vaughn.
Vaughn has been part of the Brooklyn franchise since 2016. He served as an assistant coach from 2016 to 2022. He was the interim head coach to finish the 2019-2020 season. This was after Brooklyn let go of Kenny Atkinson fowling a 28-34 start to the year. Vaughn coached them to a 7-3 finish. That wasn’t good enough to earn the full-time gig. It went to Steve Nash who was there from 2020 to 7 games into the 2023 season. At the time the Nets were 2-5.
Vaughn coached the Nets to a 43-32 record as Head Coach in 2023. Their record ended at 45-37, earning a playoff spot as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets were swept in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.
This season the Nets had high expectations. They wanted to be a playoff team and advance further. It isn’t happening. The Nets thought it was time for a change. According to ESPN.com, Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks said, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward. Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure. We thank Jacque for all he has done for the Nets and the borough of Brooklyn, and wish him, Laura, and their family nothing but the best in the future.”
Vaughn didn’t really have a full season to coach this team. The results weren’t there prior to the All-Star break, but he still deserved a full year. The Nets might be thinking a new head coach could put fire in the basketball team and earn a playoff spot even if it is the play-in tournament. The Nets haven’t announced an interim head coach yet. They will before their next game which is Thursday against Toronto. It just seems Vaughn didn’t get enough of a chance to show he could coach this year. The Nets are doing what they think is best for their team moving forward.
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