Jacque Vaughn named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December

Was there another candidate?

The NBA announced today that 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 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 won 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.

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 February 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).

And of course, the Nets are in the midst of several streaks. They have won 12 straight, 16 of 17 and 19 of 22 as well as five straight home wins and 11 home wins in their last 12 games. The winning streak began on December 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.

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.

• Jacque Vaughn Named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month - Brooklyn Nets
• Jacque Vaughn wins Eastern Conference Coach of the Month: ‘I’m just a turtle’ - Kristian Winfield - New York Daily News