The Nets may not just hand Jacque Vaughn the head coaching job, but they’re going to give him every opportunity to earn it. And that starts in earnest when the games begin to count at this week’s NBA restart in Orlando.
Nets general manager Sean Marks — whose history with Vaughn stretches back a decade to San Antonio — won’t make his call solely on wins and losses with a decimated skeleton crew. But how Vaughn works with what he’s got, how he handles the big picture, how he bonds with players — especially absent stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — will matter.
It will be paramount if he hopes to land the job full time, with a title-winning coach like Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue also believed to be on the radar, as well as names such as Jason Kidd and Mark Jackson.
Jackson, believed to be well-liked by Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman, even had to admit Vaughn has done well.
“Jacque Vaughn is a guy [who] played in this league and had success on every level,” Jackson said on an ESPN conference call. “He’s been a leader, so that’ll come easy. The adjustment, obviously, is not having some of his best talent. But as a coach, as a leader, you make the proper adjustments.
“You want your guys to play hard. You see that he has them doing just that. And then let the chips fall where they may. There are challenges, but it’s a great time to put on full display just what he brings to the table. And he’s done an outstanding job since he’s taken over.”
Vaughn was 2-0 replacing Kenny Atkinson before the season was suspended in March due to COVID-19. The Nets will resume play Friday versus Orlando, but Jackson’s ESPN partner Jeff Van Gundy stressed they’re too gutted and threadbare to judge Vaughn on record alone.
“Having been an interim coach, [there’s] anxiety, day-to-day not knowing what your future is,” Van Gundy said. “But because Jacque’s been a head coach in Orlando, he understands that while you control some things, you certainly don’t control everything. [The] only thing you do control is how well you do your job. Now he’s bringing a very decimated team to this bubble, and most likely they’re going to really struggle [in] the playoffs because of just being out-talented.
“But it’s important that he knows that he can’t be judged by winning and losing in this. Sean Marks and their management, ownership are going to make a decision based on what they see in totality, because it’d just be foolish to try to judge him off of an eight-game [span] and most likely one playoff series with a decimated roster. I know that to do that job is difficult, and I think he’s also filling in for big shoes.”
Though both Jackson and Van Gundy praised the job Vaughn has done, ESPN counterparts Jalen Rose and Kendrick Perkins stumped for another candidate: Lue, who coached Irving in Cleveland and reached three NBA Finals.
“It’s shocking that he doesn’t have a [head coaching] job. I mean, how many guys who’ve won titles are not coaching? So he clearly should be a head coach,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Lue.
“For me, the fact that I’ve coached Ty, that he’s been on my bench and watched him now, the difference is absolutely stunning. It’s amazing when you go from an assistant to a head coach how much you grow, how [much] better you get. This version of Ty has been absolutely wonderful for me personally. He’s just such a smart, smart mind, and he has amazing people skills. For us it’s been invaluable.”
With a ring and an impressive résumé, it remains to be seen how long he’s with the Clippers.
Or whether he lands with the Nets.