Jacque Vaughn has kind words for former star Kyrie Irving following his trade to Dallas: "We've had some ups and downs along the way"
Jacque Vaughn had nothing but kind words for former Net Kyrie Irving after his trade to the Dallas Mavericks became official. The Nets head coach restricted his thoughts about Irving's tenure in Brooklyn to a personal level. He looked back on their relationship as a player-coach, saying (via Nets Videos):
"My interactions with Ky have always been positive. I enjoyed coaching him. We've had some ups and downs along the way. I've also seen the young man score 60 points, bring his kids into the locker room. I've also seen him grow as an individual and be a better teammate than when I first met him."
"I enjoyed coaching him. We've had some ups and downs along the way. I've also seen the man score 60 points, bring his kids into the locker room, grow as an individual and be a better teammate than when I first met him"
- Jacque Vaughn on Kyrie Irving's tenure in Brooklyn https://t.co/gOFx6whxMf
Kyrie Irving and Jacque Vaughn seemed to have a shaky equation when the latter took over as the team's head coach. Irving was serving a suspension at the time due to him promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter and not taking accountability for his actions.
Irving was under immense scrutiny for emerging as an unreliable star player. However, Vaughn played an important role in helping the 8x All-Star turn things around. Vaughn led the team to a 25-8 run and built strong relationships with all his players, including Irving.
The 2016 NBA champion looked motivated and was available for the Brooklyn Nets. He played his best basketball with the Nets under Vaughn's coaching, slowly starting to change the narrative about him being an unreliable star and a locker-room distraction.
Jacque Vaughn got the best out of Kyrie Irving as a Net
Kyrie Irving was integral to the Brooklyn Nets' resurgence this season amid their 25-8 run. He averaged 26.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, shooting on 49/39/89 splits across 33 games under Jacque Vaughn's coaching.
Irving was the Nets' best player down the stretch during their stellar run under Vaughn until KD's injury in early January. The former Cavaliers star also delivered the goods in his co-star's absence. Kyrie averaged 30.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game across 10 appearances without Durant.
Irving was believed to be a liability but started re-emerging as an asset for the Nets, who got labeled as legitimate contenders with him on the roster. Brooklyn's shot at championship success could be hindered following his departure. Such was his importance to the team.
Kyrie Irving also managed to stay healthy for most of the season, so his departure is a loss for the Brooklyn Nets unless they replace him with another superstar-caliber player by the trade deadline.