BROOKLYN — The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has been named 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 league’s best record 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%), 3-point field goal percentage (42.2%), field goal strength (61.3%) 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 over 30 years (Golden State shot 54.1% from the field in February 1992) and the highest in a month in the franchise history. The Nets’ points per game were the third-highest in a month in franchise history, as they totaled 110 or more points in 11 of their 13 games played. The Nets also posted a 7-1 league record in “clutch” games (minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five minutes or less left in a game).
The Nets are in the midst of a 12-game winning streak, which began Dec. 7 in Charlotte. The 12-game winning streak is the most for any team in the league this season, marks the third-longest winning streak in franchise history and represents the most consecutive wins for the Nets since winning a franchise record 14 consecutive games in the 2005–06 season. Brooklyn has also notched seven straight road wins since Dec. 10 at Indiana, which is the longest road winning streak in the league this season and the second-longest road winning streak in league history. the franchise, after just an eight-game winning streak on the road in the 2020-21 campaign.
Vaughn took over as Brooklyn’s head coach on Nov. 1. Since then, the Nets have posted a league-best 23-7 record, which marks the best 30-game start to a season for a head coach in franchise history. With Vaughn at the helm, Brooklyn 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 offense and a top-five defense at that time. For the season, Brooklyn is 25-12, just one game behind the Celtics for the league’s best record, while posting the second-best road record in the league (12-7). The Nets lead the league in field goal percentage (51.5%) and blocks per game (6.8), rank second in 3-point field goal percentage (39, 3%), third in opponent field goal percentage (45.3%) 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 in attack and defense this season. The Nets also compiled a league record of 14-3 in “clutch” games, including a 12-2 record with Vaughn leading.
Including a stint as the team’s interim head coach in the 2019-20 season, Vaughn compiled a 30-10 record as Brooklyn’s head coach, good for the best start ever. 40 games for a head coach in Nets history. Vaughn is the sixth Nets head coach to win Coach of the Month honors since the award was first presented in the 1982-83 season and the first since Steve Nash in February 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.
