The Brooklyn Nets cut ties with their head coach, Jacque Vaughn, on Monday morning. As a result, the Nets plan to promote their assistant, Kevin Ollie, to become the interim head coach.
Not long ago, Ollie was a popular coaching candidate for the Detroit Pistons. After Dwane Casey stepped into a front-office role, the Pistons launched a coaching search, which frequently linked Ollie to the rebuilding franchise.
Back in May 2023, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that Ollie was “widely considered the favorite” for Detroit at the time. Three finalists were reported, with names such as Charles Lee, Jarron Collins, and Ollie.
Eventually, Detroit’s pursuit of Monty Williams proved to be successful.
When the Pistons were actively recruiting Ollie, the player-turned-coach had head coaching experience in the NCAA and Overtime Elite. Offering up Casey’s seat on the bench to Ollie would’ve been a big gamble for the Pistons, but it was a route that many fans embraced.
Instead, the Pistons went for experience. After seeing Monty Williams help turn the Phoenix Suns around during a four-season span, the Pistons banked big on the two-time head coach.
As for Ollie, he landed with the Nets ahead of the 2023-2024 season. After a 21-33 start to the year, the Nets decided that a change at the top of the coaching staff was necessary. Suddenly, Ollie takes over Vaughn’s spot when the Nets return from the All-Star break.
The personnel might be different in Brooklyn, but the Nets could offer the Pistons a look at what could’ve been had they gone in a different direction with their head coaching hire. Since Ollie landed the job with the interim title, he’s in a trial period and has a lot to prove.
Placed 11th in the Eastern Conference, the Nets have a bit of a climb to the Play-In. They currently sit two and a half games back from the Atlanta Hawks and four and a half games back from the Chicago Bulls.
Soon, the Pistons will get a chance to battle it out against their former head coach candidate. The next meeting between the Pistons and the Nets will take place on March 7 in Detroit. The fourth and final outing between the two squads will go down on April 6 in Brooklyn.
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