Brooklyn Nets: Unexpected Steve Nash hiring will pay dividends

The Brooklyn Nets boldly bet the house by hiring Steve Nash as their head coach. Despite a lack of coaching experience, however, Nash’s success is imminent.

When the Brooklyn Nets announced Steve Nash as their new head coach Thursday morning, shock waves pulsated throughout the NBA landscape.

The initial shock chimed something along the lines of “Wait, Steve Nash wants to leave an allegedly fantastic retirement to coach in a high-pressure situation?” Yet, however staggering this initial shock may have felt, it dissipated quickly. After all, in the modern NBA, nothing is ever really all that big of a surprise.

But after digesting the news, the next cloud of shock—the “Steve Nash has never coached a basketball team,” and especially the “There are multiple experienced candidates that deserve this opportunity ahead of Nash,” kind of shock—began to take form.

As a player, Steve Nash is most known for orchestrating one of the most dynamic offenses in league history as the de-facto floor general for the ‘seven-seconds-or-less’ Phoenix Suns. During his tenure in Phoenix, Nash accumulated back-to-back MVPs, leading Phoenix to the Western Conference Finals during both award-winning seasons.

Through becoming one of the league’s largest stars, Nash legitimately transcended the way the game of basketball is played.

With Nash at the helm, the mid-2000’s Suns single-handedly ushered in the up-and-down style of play that is not only recommended but exceedingly required to win consistently in today’s game. When looking back on league history, NBA fans will forever remember those Suns squads as the blueprint for spacing, efficiency, and offensive versatility. Nash—the engine of Phoenix’s high-performance sports car—just so happened to be the situation’s most notable benefactor.

Because of his on-court success, no one has ever questioned Nash’s outstanding basketball acumen. As a matter of fact, his mind-boggling hoops IQ is typically one of the first things mentioned when discussing the Hall of Fame point guard. Now, in a new role with the mounting pressures of leading two superstars and a gaggle of competent role players to the NBA’s promised land, Nash finds himself staring in the face of backlash for the first time since his early playing days with the Dallas Mavericks.

In a way, the criticism of Brooklyn’s new hire makes sense. Sure, Nash might be one of the most brilliant basketball minds the game has ever seen, but to step in as the head coach of a high-profile NBA roster with zero prior coaching experience? Flawlessly executing a system and building on-court chemistry with teammates is one thing, but mastering a clipboard and presiding over a locker room full of egos should be an entirely different story.

In Nash’s case, however, this foolishly common belief can not be further from the truth.

When asked about his former players impending fit as an NBA head coach, Mike D’Antoni wholeheartedly endorsed the Nets’ decision:

"“If things are thrown at him, one loss, two losses, three losses in a row, players not playing well, he has a lot of people to deal with, so how different personalities react to that, we’ll see. But it’s a good bet that he will react well. As a point guard, he had to understand that this guy needs the ball, or he needs to help this guy and figure it out. He always did that.”"

D’Antoni, who coached Nash both in Phoenix and with the Los Angeles Lakers, continued:

"“He worked as hard as anybody I’ve seen in basketball… Even when he broke his leg in LA, no one outworked him. He’ll do the same as a coach. He knows basketball. It’s a pretty good formula for success.”"

As previously alluded to, the most common theme in the criticism of Nash’s hiring is the two-time MVP’s lack of coaching experience. Based on social media reactions and media member chatter alike, many believe that Nash’s playing career bodes little in translating to coaching success. Unfortunately, Steve Nash has Jason Kidd’s coaching woes and Derek Fisher’s overall ineptness to thank for that. If anything, though, out of any available coaching candidates, it is nearly impossible to think of a more suitable hire for the Nets.

First and foremost, the relationship that Nash shares with Nets general manager Sean Marks runs thicker than water. Once teammates in Phoenix, Nash built a rapport with Marks that has continued over the past 15 years. Now both in Brooklyn, the Nets appear to have the stability that is imperative to long-term success.

Per ESPN via Adrian Wojnarowski’s The Woj Pod, Marks alluded to the Nets’ extensive search for a head coach but ultimately decided that his former-teammate-turned-close-friend was the best fit for the position.

"“I had talked to Steve about this over the last decade—about what life after basketball will look like for him and what endeavors he wanted to pursue. I knew he’d be a tremendous asset to whatever team, whatever organization could bring him on board…Steve searched me out when he knew the job was open and said, ‘Look, I want to put my hat in the ring here.’ It moved very quickly. [The Brooklyn Nets are] Obviously excited to have a guy his caliber and his stature to be coming in here to lead this organization forward…We’ve had conversations dating back years and years now because we are close friends. We always get together with the families and so forth. This one felt natural, not forced. It was a different tone with Steve.”"

Marks also mentioned his affinity for Nets’ recent interim head coach, Jacque Vaughn. In the interview, Marks touched on how Vaughn’s future position as an assistant coach in Brooklyn remained “not only important to [Sean Marks], but it was important to Steve.”

Equally (if not far more) as important as his relationship with Marks, Nash has also built a valued closeness with Kevin Durant. During Durant’s time with the Golden State Warriors, Nash worked in the shadows as a consultant for the dynastic juggernaut.

Stemming from those years within the same organization, Durant gained tremendous respect for Nash. In turn, their mutual admiration acted as a critical factor as to why the two-time champion signed off on Nash’s imminent hiring.

Not only did Durant sign off on Nash. Kyrie Irving’s opinion was also greatly taken into consideration. In the previously mentioned ESPN interview with Sean Marks, the Nets GM also told Adrian Wojnarowski that “[Durant and Irving] wanted a great communicator. They wanted someone they would respect. … A lot of what I know of Steve is [he is] the ultimate communicator. That’s what [Durant and Irving] asked for… and that’s what they got.”

In an interview with The Undefeated’s Marc Spears, Steve Nash briefly mentioned his relationship with the enigmatic point guard:

"“Ky and I have history. Not only being two point guards, but he is one of my favorite players to watch. He and I spent a couple of days in the gym—I believe it was 2015, in New York City—working out. There is a respect and admiration there for me. For me and Ky, our relationship is important. He is the point guard, and I’m the coach, and I’m thrilled I get the opportunity to know him better and to understand him, how he plays and what he sees and be here to help him refine his gifts.”"

As they should be, the Nets organization as a whole seems extremely excited about the hiring. Even more notable, however, is how the franchise appears to be aligned from top to bottom. From owner Joe Tsai to Marks to Nash to Durant and Kyrie and even key role guys like Spencer Dinwiddie, the Nets have built a foundation that—barring any troubling circumstances—could remain sturdy well into the future.

Most importantly, Nash’s experiences as both a player and a consultant are precious assets that should not go undervalued. As showcased in his tenure in Phoenix, Nash is one of the best leaders and teammates the NBA has ever seen. From Quentin Richardson to Amare Stoudemire and everyone in between, Nash always managed to get each teammate—regardless of their personality—to buy into the system he so ingeniously executed.

During his time as a consultant in Golden State, Nash further learned from Steve Kerr, Bob Myers, and Joe Lacob the values of organizational excellence, team camaraderie and building a winning culture.

Whether or not Nash will incorporate all he has learned into a successful coaching tenure in a city with massive lights and somehow even larger expectations remains to be seen. This experiment could end in a catastrophic fashion similar to how Jason Kidd’s stint as a head coach in the same city did just six years ago.

But to play devil’s advocate, it could also end in the Brooklyn Nets—a roster loaded with talent and a front office full of high-rollers who are not afraid to roll the dice—laughing their way to the bank after betting the house and walking away from the table with duffel bags full of chips.