Steve Nash: ‘power that players hold nowadays’ big part of coaching dynamic
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
In an interview with Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops this weekend, Steve Nash spoke for the first time about his tenure as a Brooklyn Nets head coach, saying among other things that he never wanted to be a “career coach.” Without providing much detail, Nash also told Eurohoops he’s learned that key to successful NBA coaching career, long or short, is not so much the x’s and o’s but relationships with a whole range of team personnel and “recognizing power that the players hold nowadays.”
Nash, in Slovenia for Goran Dragic’s retirement ceremonies Saturday, did not detail any particular issues he had with Nets players but made it clear that he is happier now coaching his children than coaching NBA players in Brooklyn.
“Coaching was a great experience,” he told Milanti. “I didn’t want to be a career coach. I don’t think coaching was about to be my career. I’m coaching my kids, teaching them life. I earned the opportunity to choose, and that’s rewarding, There are always projects, affiliates, and partnerships. I always have something going on, I’m focused on my family”, he continued.
“I hadn’t planned to coach, there was a unique situation in Brooklyn that knocked on my door. It was a quick transition. You deal with a different dynamic. A lot of it is managing personalities, between front offices, players, and agents. That’s a huge component of my job. All the dynamics, personalities, and power that the players hold nowadays”, he said.
In his two and a half years with the Nets before he was let go in November 2022, Nash had to deal with the egos of Brooklyn’s “Big Three,” the superstars gathered by Sean Marks between 2019 and 2022.
The New York media often noted how much power Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden had inside the franchise, being consulted on a variety of things including roster decisions and the hiring and firing of key personnel ultimately including Nash. Nash was often criticized for his coaching style, things like his failure to call timeouts at crucial junctures in the game and insufficient preparation prior to it.
Indeed, Durant called out Nash’s coaching in his trade demand before the opening of the 2021-22 season. At the same time, Irving was going from one controversy to another and was often out or suspended. Harden had by then left for Philly becoming the first to depart in September 2021. He cited a lack of structure after being dealt. By February 2023, all three plus Nash were gone from Brooklyn after playing only 16 games together.
Nash spoke as well about the need for honesty and how his leadership role as a player was so different from his leadership job as a head coach.
“The most important thing is, to be honest with the players, you can deliver that in different ways. It’s important to be clear and honest with players so that they’re not unsure. Communication is the key,” he said. noting how leadership from the bench was different from leadership on the court.
“The easy part for me was being comfortable with my leadership role, leading by example. What is actually difficult from a coaching perspective is that it’s a totally different leadership. When you’re coaching you have to lead in smaller moments”, he argued.
“I was surprised when I coached, you’re not in the team that much. You have five minutes with players before the game, at halftime, and after the game. Those are the only times when you address the team. I wanted to connect with every player individually. It’s important to build a culture and an environment where people believe and see them be their best. You need to feel that you want them to become the best version of themselves”, Nash argued.
Nash, now 50 and out of the NBA, finished his Nets tenure with a combined 94-67 record, a 58.4% winning percentage which is second all-time among franchise head coaches. (P.J. Carlesimo who filled in after Avery Johnson was dumped, was 34-19, a 64.8%.
Nash had been the surprise choice for head coach back in 2020 when selected a year after KD and Kyrie had been signed in the “Clean Sweep.” Marks had long been a big fan of the Hall of Fame point guard and had previously tried to lure him to Brooklyn. Nash declined but with the addition of KD and Kyrie in 2019, the lure was too great. At the time of his hiring, he had never been a coach anywhere professionally.
Nash’s comments add another element to the story behind his departure, seven games into the 2022-23 season.
Ironically, Dragic who Nash is honoring Saturday had previously provided some of the most detail about the Nets demise, criticizing the teams stars’ selfish play when he left the Nets in July 2022.
“I played with some stars, like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and I have to admit that it was quite difficult because the focus was not the team, but more the individual performances of the individuals,” Dragic said back then, adding “Every day there was something different, something difficult.”
Steve Clifford the veteran NBA head coach who the Nets had hired as a consultant under Nash also defended Nash, saying his coaching was not the issue, but instead simply games missed, particularly those missed by Durant.
Since then, of course, the Nets have hired and fired Jacque Vaughn, Nash’s lead assistant, and replaced him with Jordi Fernandez.
Dragic, Nash discuss first basketball steps, Nowitzki talks role with the Mavericks - Cesare Milanti - Eurohoops
Steve Nash gives look into failed Nets coach stint, what shocked him most - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Steve Nash reveals what ‘surprised’ him about failed Nets coaching stint - Sonny Giuliano - Clutch Points
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