Even a team full of stars like the Nets needs structure. And guidance. And the occasional kick in the rear.
Steve Nash may be a rookie in terms of experience as an NBA head coach, but the rookies grow and he is no different. While their Nets faced Magic on Thursday night, they were putting together a seven-game winning streak (achieved mostly without Kevin Durant), and according to Kyrie Irving, part of that is due to how hard Nash trained them.
The Nets were below average 14-12 after a humiliating defeat in Detroit on February 9, and had suffered a series of defeats at the hands of losing opponents. But, starting the next night against the Pacers at the Barclays Center, the Nets became the hottest team in the NBA and, entering the game on Thursday, stayed halfway through the 76ers for the Eastern Conference lead.
“The guys came in that Indiana game and played hard, and we’ve continued to do that ever since, to go out there and do what we say we want to do,” said Irving before the Nets’ 129-92 victory. about Magic. “You could see it on the floor, we weren’t connected at all [previously]. Especially against teams under .500 that we [had] a losing record for; that was embarrassing. Therefore, we just want to continue demanding this standard of excellence.
“Preparation is where it starts: courses, being able to do the little things, remembering the details to throw away and just playing your game with a structure in mind. We need structure. NBA players, artists, anyone, we need structure to be able to succeed at the highest level. That’s why you see that the best teams have coaches who train the [crap] outside the players, and guys who go there and do that. So, we just want to be able to remain consistent. “
After that embarrassing defeat in Detroit (in which the Pistons, the worst team in the East, hit 56.4 percent), left the Nets in third place, four and a half games behind the Sixers, even the upbeat Nash was annoyed.
Nash not only had harsh words for his players, but he also did some extra work after the defeat.
“It was a direct confrontation, we came home, we are playing against a very dangerous Indiana team, and we put everything in play for them before the game, which is not ideal in the regular season,” said Nash. “You don’t necessarily want to bring negative teaching clips before the game. But we didn’t have a consecutive shift with the trips, so I thought we couldn’t miss the opportunity to keep improving.
“It started there. I don’t mean that we went after them, but we were very constructive with our criticisms of what needed to be improved. It started. We started adding shootaround, which – because of COVID and a condensed schedule – we tried to change to start with, just so as not to get too flooded for the guys.
“Now we are having shootarounds, receiving a few more touches, to be more critical with our growth in a constructive and positive way. I don’t know if we are training them harder, but we are definitely trying to get to the point and make sure that we are pointing, improving and addressing problems ”.
With NBA programming compressed into just five months this season, there has been little precious training to delve into the finer points. But after avoiding the shots (a common practice under former coach Kenny Atkinson), Nash had no choice but to start the extra work by all necessary means.
The result was spectacular. Since February 10, the Nets were 7-0 with a net rating of 9.1, which was the third best in the league.
“I don’t say that I am a much better coach than I was ten days ago. This is difficult to determine, ”said Nash. “I am gaining comfort. I’m learning, getting to know my team and our challenges. It’s in the players, a lot of it. They deserve the credit. We seek to guide and help them. But I don’t sit down and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m training hell out of my team. I’m having fun here. ‘Take it one step at a time. “