The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Jacque Vaughn has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December. The honor is the first of Vaughn’s coaching career.
Vaughn guided Brooklyn to the winningest month in franchise history and the best record in the league in December (12-1), three games ahead of the next-best team in the Eastern Conference. For the month, the Nets led the league in points per game (119.7), field goal percentage (54.0 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (42.2 percent), effective field goal percentage (61.3 percent) and offensive rating (120.5) while ranking second in net rating (8.3) and blocks per game (6.0), fourth in assists per game (26.6) and 10th in defensive rating (112.2). Brooklyn’s field goal percentage was the highest in a month for any team in more than 30 years (Golden State shot 54.1 percent from the field in Feb. 1992) and the highest in a month in franchise history. The Nets’ points per game were the third highest in a month in franchise history, as they tallied 110 or more points in 11 of their 13 games played. The Nets also posted a league-best 7-1 record in ‘clutch’ games (minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game).
The Nets are in the midst of a 12-game win streak, which began on Dec. 7 at Charlotte. The 12 straight wins are the most for any team in the league this season, mark the third-longest win streak in franchise history and represent the most consecutive wins for the Nets since winning a franchise-record-tying 14 straight games in the 2005-06 season. Brooklyn has also reeled off seven straight road wins since Dec. 10 at Indiana, representing the longest road win streak in the league this season and marking the second-longest road win streak in franchise history, trailing only an eight-game road win streak in the 2020-21 campaign.
Vaughn took over as Brooklyn’s head coach on Nov. 1. Since then, the Nets have recorded a league-best 23-7 record, which represents the best 30-game start to a season for a head coach in franchise history. With Vaughn at the helm, Brooklyn has ranked third in offensive rating (117.0), fourth in defensive rating (109.8) and second in net rating (7.2), joining Boston as the only teams with a top five offense and defense in that time. For the season, Brooklyn boasts a 25-12 record, just one game behind the Celtics for the best record in the league, while posting the second-best road record in the league (12-7). The Nets lead the league in field goal percentage (51.5 percent) and blocks per game (6.8), rank second in 3-point field goal percentage (39.3 percent), third in opponent field goal percentage (45.3 percent) and are top 10 in the league in offensive rating (116.2 – third), defensive rating (111.6 – 10th) and net rating (4.5 – third), one of four teams with a top 10 offense and defense this season. The Nets have also compiled a league-best 14-3 record in ‘clutch’ games, including a 12-2 record with Vaughn leading the way.
Including a stint as the team’s interim head coach in the 2019-20 season, Vaughn has compiled a record of 30-10 as Brooklyn’s head coach, good for the best 40-game start for a head coach in Nets history. Vaughn is the sixth Nets head coach to earn Coach of the Month honors since the award was first presented in the 1982-83 season and the first since Steve Nash in Feb. 2021. Vaughn also joins Jason Kidd as the only two men to play for the Nets and earn a Coach of the Month honor as the franchise’s head coach.
All-Time Nets Coach of the Month Honorees:
Jacque Vaughn – Dec. 2022
Steve Nash – Feb. 2021
Jason Kidd – March 2014
Jason Kidd – Jan. 2014
Avery Johnson – Oct./Nov. 2012
Lawrence Frank – April 2007
Lawrence Frank – March 2006
Lawrence Frank – April 2005
Lawrence Frank – Feb. 2004
Byron Scott – Dec. 2003
Byron Scott – Dec. 2002
*Note – The NBA began awarding Coach of the Month by conference in 2002-03.