The Brooklyn Nets started the 2022-23 season in one of the worst ways possible, scoring a rough 1-6 record and looking like a complete mess in nearly every way.
Even with the returns of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving – and a fully healthy Ben Simmons – the Nets were struggling.
People said they’d be lucky to even make the play-in tournament, while a playoff run was all but impossible.
Here come the Brooklyn Nets 👀 pic.twitter.com/LFlh8CM0hz
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) December 13, 2022
That isn’t the case anymore.
Since hiring new head coach Jacque Vaughn, the Nets have gone 15-7, far better than their 2-5 record under Steve Nash.
They are also 6th in the league for their defensive efficiency rank, up from 29th, and are 5th for net efficiency rank, up from 28th.
The Nets are much better than they were, there is no doubt about that.
You can point to many factors that have improved them but the biggest must be their new coach.
Nets’ New HC
Vaughn really loves this team and it shows.
He has been with the Nets since 2016 when he joined as an assistant.
Vaughn was passed over for the top job before but he stuck it out, even serving as the interim coach for a short while before Nash was brought on board.
He remained an assistant for a few more years until this premiere position was formally granted to him for good.
He has been waiting for this moment and there are few people who understand the Nets and what they can and can’t do better than Vaughn.
There are many times when fans think that the only way a team can turn things around is if they get new players but sometimes it’s a new coach who can change things in the best way.
