Nets Fire HC Jacque Vaughn; Lost by 50-Points to Celtics Before NBA All-Star Break

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 19, 2024

Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets fired coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday after less than two seasons.

Brooklyn Nets @BrooklynNetsThe Brooklyn Nets have relieved Jacque Vaughn of his head coaching duties. An interim head coach will be named in the near future.

Erik Slater @erikslater_Full statement from Sean Marks on the firing of Jacque Vaughn:

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward. Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The…

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news, which came hours after the NBA All-Star Game ended.

“To Joe Tsai, Clara Wu-Tsai, Ollie Weisberg, Sam Zussman, Sean Marks and front office, Nets coaches, staff, players, BSE family and the entire Brooklyn borough: It was a pleasure being your head coach,” Vaughn said in a statement. “I hope each individual I interacted with felt respected and valued. Just know I gave you everything I had every single day. Onto the next chapter. Amor Fati.”

Vaughn, 49, went 64-65 during his tenure with the Nets. Brooklyn is a disappointing 21-33 overall and lost by 50 points to the Boston Celtics in its final game before the break.

The Nets started the season 15-15 but have dropped 18 of their past 24 games. Vaughn was hired seven games into the 2022-23 season, after the Nets fired Steve Nash, and led the Nets to a 43-32 record as the franchise parted ways with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving midseason.

These revamped Nets never stood much of a chance to compete, as their roster is built from the outcasts from trades for superstars. Mikal Bridges looked like a potential All-Star after heading over from Phoenix in the Durant trade, but he’s buckled under the weight of a full-time superstar load. He’s the only true foundational piece Brooklyn acquired in those trades, with the rest of the roster doing little to inspire confidence.

Billy Reinhardt @BillyReinhardtShams says Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie had been vocal behind the scenes for months about how Jacque Vaughn’s offense was running.

Nets seemingly want more structure and a clearer pecking order offensively rather than the free flowing equal opportunity offense that Vaughn… https://t.co/ZgU7Z0sxNL

Third-year guard Cam Thomas is an impressive boom-or-bust scorer but does little else on the floor. Cam Johnson is a largely one-dimensional player who plays beyond the arc, while Nic Claxton is the same inside the arc.

It’s hard to look at this roster and see how Vaughn could have done a much better job. The Nets traded Irving and Durant last February. The Nets didn’t make much of an effort to fortify their roster over the summer, leaving Vaughn with the roster of a lottery team that’s performing exactly like a lottery team.

The timing of the firing is also a little hard to fathom. The Nets could have fired Vaughn immediately after their embarrassing loss to the Celtics and went into the break having named an interim coach to take over.

Instead, they waited until after the break and made the move just days before the team embarks on a four-game road trip. Maybe this will prove to be a smart move, but the Nets have been a franchise without direction and proper leadership for years.

General manager Sean Marks may wind up finding himself on the hot seat if his latest coaching change doesn’t result in a quick turnaround to end the 2023-24 season.