Nets' Jacque Vaughn Named NBA Eastern Conference Coach Of The Month

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December.

There was no NBA Eastern Conference head coach more deserving of Coach of the Month for games played in December than Jacque Vaughn. On Tuesday evening, it became official. The honor marks the first of his head coaching career.  

The Brooklyn Nets head coach has not only been able to lead a grand turnaround after a rocky start to the regular season but guided the organization to the winningest month in franchise history. He compiled a 12-1 overall record in December, three games ahead of the next-best team in the East.

In the month of December, Brooklyn led the league in multiple offensive categories: 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). The second-seed Nets registered at least 110 points in 11 of their 13 games played and held a dominant, and league-best, record in 'clutch' game situations (7-1). 

Since Vaughn took over as head coach on Nov. 1, Brooklyn has boasted the best record in the league (23-7). That also represents the best 30-game start for a Nets head coach in franchise history. Including his interim stint in the 2019-20 season, Vaughn holds a 30-10 overall record (.750 win percentage), which is also the best 40-game start for a Nets head coach in franchise history. 

"We walk into every game believing, 'All right, if we stick to this template, this structure that we have, we'll be fine regardless of what goes on in the game.' Just knowing what we want to do every time we step on the floor keeps our mind at ease," said Kevin Durant back on Dec. 28 on Vaughn's coaching. "We'll have belief in whatever Jacque tells us."

Vaughn is the sixth Nets head coach to win Coach of the Month honors. To dive deeper, he also becomes the second former Net player to win Coach of the Month for the franchise, joining current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.  

Brooklyn is currently riding their third-longest win streak in franchise history (12 games). The win streak also stands as the longest winning streak achieved in the league this season. The team's seven-straight road wins also represent the longest road streak across the NBA this season. It's also the second-longest road win streak in franchise history.