Yanni Vaughn becomes Nets coach.
When the Nets helped Davis unlock the "park-limited skin" and let the Lakers win their third game of the season, Nets fans did not criticize the team's new coach Yanni Vaughn, but instead said "don't blame you, try your best."
In the same loss, if the manager's name were changed to Nash, most fans would just shout "get out", while Yanni Vaughn gained the support of fans in just 5 games.
More important is the change in the Nets - in the first 7 games of Nash's coach, the Nets had the second-lowest defensive efficiency league; In Vaughn's five games, the team became the league's best defensive team.
This coach from the Spurs department seems to have a charisma that can unite people's hearts and minds, and it also allows the Nets to take the first step to change themselves.
Vaughn (right) and Durant on the sidelines.
From penultimate to first in the league
The night of the game against the Lakers clearly did not belong to the Nets.
He shot only 1 of the first 13 three-pointers in the game, and only 7% from three-point range in the opening game; Claxton, the only center, played only 15 minutes before exiting due to injury, leaving Durant on the inside; Thick eyebrows unlock the "park-limited skin" and hit luxurious statistics of 37 points and 18 rebounds.
For the Nets, though, the loss wasn't unacceptable. While the team's 6-8 record is still less than 50 percent, Vaughn's 4-2 record is enough to get the turbulent team back on track compared to the bottom at the beginning of the season.
The Nets' most obvious change is in defense, Nash in the first seven games in charge of the Nets, the Nets conceded a whopping 118.3 points per 100 rounds, the second lowest in the league. Before Vaughn became coach, the Nets' fewest points this season game was against the Raptors, who scored "only" 105 points.
But in the six games since Vaughn started, the Nets have a defensive efficiency of 98.3, first in the league during the same period, followed by the Bucks at 103.9.
Before the game against the Lakers, the Nets conceded no more than 100 points in five consecutive games, and were the only team this season that could prevent opponents from scoring more than 100 points in five consecutive games.
The Nets last did this in the 2014-2015 season, when the league's highest scoring average was the Warriors' 110 points, and now it doesn't even rank in the top 20 in the league.
Previously, against the Clippers, the Nets played a 20-2 offensive climax in the final quarter, when the media focused more on offense, and Vaughn took the initiative to emphasize the word "defense".
"It's special that we put enough energy and effort into the defensive end. Hopefully, this team can feel this special, prevent the opponent from shooting for 24 seconds, try to assist, block and shoot, this energy on the defensive end is also contagious. ”
After the victory over the Clippers, Nets owner Tsai Chongxin wrote on social media: "Solid win, elite defense!" ”
Vaughan and Owen discussed tactics.
Win people's hearts
Before Vaughn took charge of the Nets, no one had ever imagined that the Nets would become a defensive team. But "defense" is just Vaughn's label for coaching the Nets, and most importantly, he has won the hearts and minds of this stormy team.
After Nash got out of class, the New York Times revealed a detail - in the Nets losing to the Pacers, scouts observed Nash shouting specific tactics in at least 10 different rounds, while Irving played completely different tactics. It's not the superstar's free play, it's more like Irving expressing his contempt for Nash.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Nash shouted a tactic, they fought something else entirely, I've never seen that before. ”
It is clear that in the later years of Nash's management, the team has fallen apart. This state makes the Nets full of holes, such as Simmons and Royce O'Neal because of communication problems, which caused the two to watch their opponents successfully make a layup with an easy block; For example, after Johar completed a goal, Durant instead expressed his dissatisfaction with him.
Before becoming the official head coach of the Nets, Vaughn was not the first choice for the Nets coaching position. On the day Nash left class, ESPN released news that Uduka, who was deeply involved in an "office romance", was the frontrunner of the Nets coach.
But just a week later, the Nets changed their minds and, according to general manager Marks, "To replace Vaughn, we had to find someone more impressive than him, someone who fit the team better, but none of them fit the bill." ”
'Vaughn was the catalyst for us to turn things around recently, I've seen the camaraderie shown between the players and they're having a great time.
When the Nets have suffered from "players disobeying discipline", what they need more is not a famous coach, but a coach who can win people's hearts.
Vaughn wants to maximize Simmons' defensive power.
Not the first choice, but the best choice
For this "always not the first choice" experience, Vaughn did not use the NBA's most common "I proved myself" logic but joked with everyone.
"I told my wife that I might not have been the first choice when she picked her husband, but now we have been together for 20 years. So, everything will go well this time, let's move forward together. ”
If you look at Vaughn's resume, he is indeed the most suitable coach for the current Nets, after all, he has been an assistant coach with the Nets since 2016, and it is not the first time he has become the team's interim coach.
In the 2019-2020 season, the NBA was shut down due to the epidemic, former Nets coach Atkinson was dismissed, and Vaughn became the acting coach. For Vaughn at the time, the Nets could also be described as a mess.
Durant, Irving, Claxton could not play from injury, Dinwiddie, Prince and Jordan Jr. were infected with the new crown, Chandler withdrew from the rematch for family reasons, and Vaughn could only take a group of temporary workers to Disney's bubble division.
To this end, Vaughn went to the botanical garden to buy a one-foot-tall bamboo plant and brought it into the Disney division, "It's just a metaphor, hoping that the team will show enough resilience and flexibility." ”
That resilience also turned from Vaughn's expectations to reality, and the Nets secured a 5-3 record to secure a playoff spot.
At the time, many people within the Nets supported Vaughn's turn, but the Nets eventually hired Nash as the coach.
Vaughn and Popovich.
Spurs manager
Vaughn, like Nash, is an NBA player. He was the 27th pick in 1997 and spent 12 years in the league, averaging 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
Vaughn isn't as glamorous as Nash, but he naturally has his charm in 12 years in the league.
Vaughn became a free agent after winning the championship with the Spurs in 2007, and Popovich met with management that summer to discuss the team's future plans, and there was a list of players on the board.
Popovich walked up to the blackboard, circled Vaughn's name directly, and turned to the staff, "Let that guy sign for another year, I don't care what happens." No matter how many games he plays, he will bring great performances to our team. ”
After retiring, Vaughn was hired by Popovich as an assistant coach in 2010, and after two years at the Spurs, the 37-year-old received an offer from the Magic to become the team's coach.
However, 13 days after becoming the Magic coach, the Magic completed a sensational four-team trade in the league, traded team superstar Howard and began a rotten journey...
During the painful rebuild, Vaughn retired after two and a half seasons in charge due to the slow growth of young players in the team, while Vaughn had a 58-158 record.
Although this record is not good, Vaughn has the support of Popovich, "Many times, success or failure depends on the environment, and Vaughn has all the conditions to be a good coach. The Magic didn't get what they wanted, but shouldn't they think about how much of the team environment is in it? ”
Compared with the unsuccessful coaching experience of 10 years ago, Vaughn is now the Nets' "ordered between dangers" coach. It wasn't all going to be smooth sailing for this stormy team, but Vaughn was ready.
Just as Vaughn chose to retire from the NBA Draft in 1996 to return to his senior season, he expressed his thoughts with the famous poet Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Chosen."
The last line of the poem reads, "Two roads were divided into a wood, and I chose the one with fewer people, and since then I have determined the path of my life." ”