Jacque Vaughn doesn't take full credit after being awarded Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. (Ron Schwane, AP)
Jacque Vaughn on winning Coach of the Month: ‘I’m just a turtle.’
The NBA named the Nets head coach Eastern Conference Coach of the Month of December on Tuesday after Vaughn steered Brooklyn to a franchise-best 12-1 record in the final month of 2022.
Ahead of Wednesday’s matchup in Chicago against the Bulls, Vaughn — who entered the night with a 23-7 record since taking over for former coach Steve Nash — used a peculiar, but spot-on analogy to selflessly give credit to everyone else for the award.
“I got a great text from a friend of mine — he said, ‘what’s so special about a turtle sitting on top of a fencepost?’” Vaughn began. “He didn’t get there on his own. So I’m very smart to know that award is the performance team, it’s the coaching staff, it is, at the end of the day, it’s the players. So we had a great month as a team because those guys came out and they balled out and they hooped.
”So I’m just a turtle. That’s it.”
Vaughn’s success turning around a 2-5 start to the season under Nash begins with holding players accountable on both ends of the floor. But he’s left his imprint in a number of ways: from using an iPad during timeouts to effectively point out mishaps before the players go back to the court.
Almost every player on the Nets roster has sung Vaughn’s praises not only for “simplifying” the game plan, but also for his ability to relate to each player on an individual basis.
Vaughn is correct: The team has caught fire in large part due to a roster that has finally turned healthy. Every player — aside from those on G-League assignment — was available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Bulls. His 12-1 stretch in December, however, includes the unlikely 136-133 victory over the Indiana Pacers — a game the Nets rested every key rotation player except Yuta Watanabe and Edmond Sumner but still defeated what was a surging Pacers team at that point in the season.
New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green won Western Conference Coach of the Month for steering his team to a 10-5 record despite All-Star forward Brandon Ingram missing all of December with a toe injury.
Vaughn beat Eastern Conference finalists J.B. Bickerstaff (Cavaliers), Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Jamahl Mosley (Magic) and Doc Rivers (76ers) for the honor.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service