The NBA world was hit with surprising news early Monday morning when the Nets and general manager Sean Marks dismissed Jacque Vaughn from his head coach role. It was not a surprise for most people within the Nets community, but it shocked people who have not watched the Nets much this season.
These reactions include former players Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams speculating if the Nets would tank the second half of the season. Anyone aware of the Nets’ situation would know the team will look to compete for a spot in the Playoffs due to the team not having a first-round pick until the 2028 Draft.
“What is the long play, you don't know. Do you just try to shut down like your guys for the rest of the season, the next thirty games, and kind of try to get the highest possible draft pick? Who knows,” Parsons said on Run It Back.
Brooklyn must stay competitive
The Nets do not have a choice but to try for a spot in the Playoffs. If they continued with Vaughn as head coach, the Nets looked destined to miss the Play-In Tournament. Now that they have an interim coach in Kevin Ollie, the team will do its best to compete.
Brooklyn is 2.5 games behind the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks, a reachable margin. Atlanta has not lit up the NBA, which could be good for a healthy and motivated Nets team. Chasing the Trae Young-led team will be challenging, but the Brooklyn organization will do its best to stay within touching distance.
The players wanted this change
Even if the team loved having Coach JV around for the positivity and mentorship he brings, Brooklyn’s players did not like the system he was running. It’s challenging to navigate the situation, but parting ways was the best option to hit somewhat of a reset button.
Mikal Bridges and former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie were critical of Vaughn’s coaching, which came to a head with this change. Now that the players got what they wanted, Brooklyn is under pressure to outperform the first half of the season.
The Nets have a talented roster, and Coach Ollie has a tough road ahead of him as the team wants to compete for a spot in the postseason. That’s a fact that most analysts should learn about Brooklyn because the team won’t wave a white flag anytime soon.
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