The Brooklyn Nets shocked the NBA community today as they hired 2-time MVP Steve Nash as their new head coach and while he has had less than zero head coaching experience, the Nets decided to pull the trigger on one of the best point guards of all-time.
The hire is a little bit controversial because the Nets hired a coach who hasn’t coached before and decided to not offer the job to their interim head coach Jacque Vaughn who did a fantastic job with the no-name version of the Nets that showed up to play in the NBA bubble.
Sure there was a wide variety of former coaches and current assistant coaches for the Nets to consider, but instead, they decided to try to capture the second coming of Steve Kerr in the form of Steve Nash. The team was also able to retain Vaughn as an assistant coach.
Nash who worked for the Warriors as a part-time consultant ended up helping the Warriors win 73 games in 2016 and earned a ring in 2017 when the Warriors successfully integrated Kevin Durrant into dub-nation.
During his playing career, Nash was considered one of the smartest players in the league, and often referred to as a player-coach on the court. Like Kerr, he will enter the NBA as head-coach with no experience but hit time spent with KD was certainly one of the reasons he was hired.
He was also a general manager for the Canadian men’s national basketball team and co-owner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
In addition, Nash is liked and respected throughout the league by players and coaches which is exactly what this Nets team needs. He should have no issues communicating with the modern-day NBA player because he is just 6 years removed from playing in the league. Nash, who is 46 now, signed a 4-year deal with the Nets.
“In Steve, we see a leader, communicator, and mentor who will garner the respect of our players,” said Nets GM Sean Marks. “I have had the privilege to know Steve for many years. One of the great on-court leaders in our game, I have witnessed firsthand his basketball acumen and selfless approach to prioritize team success.”
“Congratulations to Steve Nash,” Kerr wrote on Twitter. “And thank you for all your work over the years with the Warriors. You are going to crush it in Brooklyn!”
Magic Johson who is never afraid to share his opinions wrote the following:
“Last year Steve Nash was working with Kevin Durant at the Lakers facility and I could see that they had a really good working relationship,” Magic wrote on Twitter. “With Steve’s basketball IQ, he really knows what it takes for players to go to the next level.”
The MIGHTY Line
Let’s face it, coaching a team with Kyrie Irving and KD is not going to be a cakewalk, but considering Nash’s track record as a player and a player development coach with the Warriors, the odds are good to that he will find his way through the Nets minefield.
One paper the Nets certainly appear to have enough talent to contend next year for a ring and in my opinion, hiring a recent NBA Hall-of-Famer was a brilliant move.
