Jacque Vaughn was tasked with leading what seemed like an improbable turnaround when he was hired as Brooklyn Nets head coach in early November. Six weeks later, the Nets are on a seven-game winning streak and have posted the league's best record (14-3) over their last 17 games.
During that span, Vaughn has displayed a sound understanding of how to control the flow of a game and quickly correct his team's miscues. After a 2-7 start, Brooklyn sits just 2.5 games back of Milwaukee for first place in the Eastern Conference ahead of a matchup with the Bucks Friday.
Vaughn, who spent 12 years in the league as a player, served as Orlando's head coach for three seasons before joining Brooklyn's staff in 2016. The Nets lead man got his coaching start with San Antonio in 2010, joining Gregg Popovich's staff for two seasons after spending his final two as a player with the Spurs.
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer served as an assistant with the Spurs during each of those years. Since then, Budenholzer won a title with the Bucks and has twice been named coach of the year. And the veteran coach offered high praise for Vaughn ahead of Friday's highly-anticipated matchup.
“His work ethic and also his attention to detail were just off the charts. He was about as sharp as anybody I’ve ever been around as a player,” Budenholzer said of Jacque Vaughn. “His thirst for gameplans and little moments where he could make the difference and little moments where he could impact winning, it was high level.”
“And then as a coach, it was the same thing,” he continued. “I think there’s a level of attention to detail. He’s demanding, but he can connect with people and still demand from them. I think that’s what he did as a player, and I think you see it now as a head coach too.”
Vaughn won a championship with the Spurs in 2007 with Budenholzer on the staff. The Brooklyn head coach said the jump from playing under Budenholzer to coaching alongside him played a large role in his development during his first years as an assistant.
“Interesting relationship just because he did coach me. We were part of a championship together and then I was on the same staff,” Vaughn said. “Interesting to be coached by him but then be in the same meetings with him. That revealed why he’s such a great coach. I saw it as a player and then being in the same meetings to see how he thought overall about the game, always on the edge analytically at that time when we were with the Spurs, pushing us in the right direction there. Extremely prepared. (He) loves the game and I learned a lot from him.”
Jacque Vaughn and Mike Budenholzer now find themselves in a tight battle among several teams for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks hold the league's best record while Brooklyn has skyrocketed up the standings during Vaughn's six weeks as head coach.
Milwaukee came back from double digits to beat Brooklyn during the teams' first matchup on Oct. 26. The Nets will look to make a statement Friday in their toughest matchup since a Dec. 4th loss to Boston.
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