The Brooklyn Nets have shocked the NBA world with their hiring of Jacque Vaughn as their new head coach.
While reports originally had Ime Udoka landing the job, the Nets management went in another direction.
The Nets are making Jacque Vaughn head coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 9, 2022
However, Vaughn is no stranger to the Nets, which is most likely why he got the job.
But is Vaughn the right person for the job once held by Steve Nash?
Vaughn Has Previous Experience As Head Coach With The Nets
While some might not remember, Vaughn had a brief run as the interim head coach of the Nets back in 2020.
In 2016, Jacque Vaughn joined the @BrooklynNets as an assistant coach.
In 2020, he served as an interim head coach and led the Nets to the first round of the playoffs in the bubble.
Now, Vaughn has been named head coach 🏀 pic.twitter.com/UpMh7kuUBC
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) November 9, 2022
His brief run saw him go 7-3 as a head coach, enough to lead the Nets to a playoff spot that season.
However, his previous head coaching experience with the Orlando Magic saw him getting fired before the season was over.
While the talent on the Nets roster is better than what he had in Orlando, it’s all about if Vaughn can right the ship in Brooklyn.
Kyrie Irving, who’s under fire for his support of an anti-Semitic film, is currently suspended.
With Vaughn having a history with Irving, the Nets might hope having him as coach can lead to meaningful talks.
While Vaughn didn’t talk to Irving once he was suspended, he’s now tasked with dealing with him.
However, for Irving to come back to the Nets, he must complete a six-step program and serve a five-game suspension.
If Vaughn can convince Irving to go through with this, there will be no doubt he’s the right guy for the Nets HC job.
NEXT: Ben Simmons Has Been Lacking For A Long Time
