Tag: Jacque Vaughn

Nets’ Ben Simmons is likely to return to the court next week vs. Jazz

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said on Saturday that Ben Simmons is ‘likely’ to return for Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has played just six games this season after a nerve impingement in his lower left back in the beginning of November took him off the court for a significant amount of time. However, the good news is that he should be back for the Nets soon.

“Yeah, all signs point towards the likelihood of him playing next week,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said of Simmons prior to Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets. Simmons practiced earlier in the day on Saturday with the Long Island Nets and per Vaughn, everything went well during that session.

Vaughn mentioned that Simmons has a “high likelihood” of returning to the court for Monday’s home game against the Utah Jazz.

In other news, as Nets Wire covered previously, Cam Johnson will miss Saturday’s game against the Rockets due to personal reasons. Per Vaughn, it seems that whatever Johnson is going through, he will come back to the team shortly.

As a result, Cam Thomas will start in Johnson’s place. Thomas, who is second on the team in scoring with a 20.5 points per game average, will draw his 21st start of the season. When he has started, Thomas is averaging 22.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range.

Vaughn said that backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, who is averaging 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 16.0 minutes primarily off the bench, is still “far behind” from practicing at this moment. He’s been doing individual work while allowing his hyperextended left knee to heal.

In more injury news, Dariq Whitehead, the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, will be getting season-ending surgery to address the stress reaction in his left shin, according to Vaughn. Vaughn said that it’s still too early to see if Whitehead will be able to participate in the summer league, but that the team will have an update after his surgery on Monday.

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Nets’ Ben Simmons to practice with Long Island Nets this weekend

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed on Thursday that Ben Simmons will practice with Long Island this weekend.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of a stretch where it seems that they are finding new ways to lose games rather than to win them. Brooklyn has been relatively healthy this season, but there is one guy that they have been missing for most of this season. The good news is, he could be back soon.

“Yeah, he’s still progressing,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said of guard Ben Simmons, who is currently out because of a nerve impingement in his left lower back, prior to Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was reported shortly before Vaughn’s pregame media availability that Simmons would practice with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, this weekend. Vaughn confirmed those reports.

“That’ll be another step forward. Get some more lively bodies around him. And, then see what that looks like next week,” Vaughn said. “Hopefully, he continues to progress and we see him soon.” According to the reports, along with Vaughn, the anticipation is for Simmons to play next week assuming that everything goes well during his practice with Long Island this weekend.

The Nets will be playing their 44th game of the 2023-24 season on Thursday against the Timberwolves and Simmons has played just six of those games this season. In a season where much has gone wrong for Brooklyn, Simmons’ long-awaited return could be the best news the team has received so far this season.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn ‘pretty confident’ team can turn things around

Following Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn remains ‘pretty confident’ in a turnaround.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the worst teams in the league in terms of record over the past month. While that puts Brooklyn in the company of teams that were expected to be towards the bottom of the league, unlike the Nets, there is belief that a turnaround is coming.

“I’m actually pretty confident,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks as part of the NBA’s Rivals Week theme. Brooklyn has been in an extended slump lately as they have won just five of their past 22 games and their meltdown against the Knicks was just one of the many examples of why this slide is occurring.

“That was a heartbreaking loss that we had in Clipper land,” Vaughn said. “Then we come back tonight and it’s 101-101 with a minute to go in the game. So, that ability for our guys to show a spirit about themselves, a competitiveness about themselves, definitely leans me into having belief and more comfort in this group to continue to push them and try to get some wins.”

The Nets went into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead over the Knicks thanks to the efforts of several players including Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. However, the final 12 minutes was a different story as New York won the period 32-18 thanks to getting five offensive rebounds and getting some key stops down the stretch.

It was one of those games where Brooklyn looked like a completely different team in the fourth quarter and it seems to be a theme that’s been repeated throughout this season: the Nets cannot close games. With the trade deadline just weeks away, Vaughn and the Nets may be out of time to turn things around.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn gives update on Ben Simmons, Day’Ron Sharpe

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn gave updates on Ben Simmons and Day’Ron Sharpe.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have won just five of their last 21 games as their journey to make the playoffs is becoming less likely by the day. While the team has been mostly healthy recently, the Nets are still missing two players who could make an impact on the team right now.

“Ben (Simmons) is improving,” Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks. Simmons has played in just six games this season mostly due to the nerve impingement in his lower left back that he suffered in the beginning of November.

Vaughn mentioned that Simmons will not play this week and that it looks like the team could be assigning Simmons to its G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, to get in some practice reps.

With regards to backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, who has missed the past five games due to a hyperextended left knee, is “really limited” in what he can do on the court right now, according to Vaughn.

“Shooting free throws, dribbling the basketball, no other players around him. No setback, though, which is good. He (Sharpe) said he had been feeling the best since the injury. So, that was good to hear. So, hopefully, he just continues to improve because we do miss him,” Vaughn explained.

The Nets play their next five games at home, starting with Tuesday’s matchup against the Knicks.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges has lower leg contusion; status uncertain vs. Lakers

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed after Wednesday’s loss at Portland that Mikal Bridges has a lower right leg contusion.

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a disappointing 105-103 loss at the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday despite having an 11-point lead in the third quarter. However, in addition to the loss, there is another potential problem that came out of Wednesday’s game that could be something to be concerned about.

Nets guard Mikal Bridges, who put up 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the narrow loss, suffered a lower right leg contusion, according to head coach Jacque Vaughn. Bridges suffered the injury with 4:27 left in the third quarter after Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker ran into Bridges’ leg while trying to slip to the basket after setting a screen.

After the play, Bridges had trouble getting to his feet on his own for awhile before eventually making it to Brooklyn’s bench. After riding the exercise bike, Bridges headed to the locker room, but Meghan Triplett of YES Network reported shortly after that Bridges was available to come back into the game.

Vaughn mentioned a couple of times during his postgame press conference that it was good that Bridges was able to come back into the game and finish. However, he also said that it was too soon to say whether Bridges will be able to play in Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says not getting 50/50 balls led to loss to Heat

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said one of the reasons for Monday’s 96-95 loss to the Miami Heat was not getting 50/50 balls.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are stuck in a rut right now as it seems that nothing is working from them, even when it should. Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has been transparent about why Brooklyn has lost so much lately, but it seems that he found another reason for yet another loss.

“I think if I could pinpoint to one thing, every time we didn’t come away with a 50/50 ball, we paid for it,” Vaughn said after Monday’s 96-95 overtime loss to the Miami Heat. The Nets led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but the Heat used a 19-5 run from the beginning of the period to tie the game at 50 with 5:19 left. Part of the reason was the change in effort from both teams.

“For example, the one at the end, probably 40 seconds to go, there’s a loose ball and (Tyler) Herro ends up shooting a three,” Vaughn explained. In the play in question, Vaughn is referring to a play with less than a minute to go in overtime when a pass from Herro to Bam Adebayo was not caught cleanly and Herro was able to get an open look from three because Adebayo was able to beat Nic Claxton to it.

From the beginning of the second half, it looked like the Heat were quicker to the basketball on almost every 50/50 play despite playing on the second leg of a back-to-back. It looks like the Nets have to figure how to put together a full game of playing the way that they did in the first half.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says Paris trip made the team ‘better overall’

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn reflected on the value of what Brooklyn’s trip to Paris did for the team as a whole.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have not played good basketball over the past month and as a result, they find themselves in danger of falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. However, last week’s trip to Paris as part of the NBA Paris Game may be the reset that gets the Nets back on track.

“The mission was to go win a basketball game, we didn’t get that accomplished,” Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against the Miami Heat.

The Nets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Paris, but a furious comeback in the second half gave Brooklyn the chance to steal the win. Vaughn saw more to the trip than just playing a typical regular-season game.

“The piece of being around each other and seeing each other’s families, spending time and seeing the human side of all of us, that part was unique and can’t be substituted,” Vaughn said. “The fact that we had two great days of practice and we’re able to do that in the middle of the year, not around the All-Star break or something of that nature, is rare. The fact that we played one game in five days is rare also. So, there are a lot of things that makes that trip unique, but I love that we were part of the international game.”

Now that Brooklyn has gotten a substantial break after looking like a team that needed some rest prior to their trip to Paris, they have to buckle down and string together some wins if they want to remain in the playoff picture.

While the instinct of most is to save the trips until after the work is done, Vaughn saw the entire experience as an opportunity for the team to grow, rest, and build some camaraderie. “I think overall we’re a better team because of it,” Vaughn explained.

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says Cam Thomas is a ‘heck of a basketball player’

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Thursday’s loss to the Cavaliers that Cam Thomas is a ‘heck of basketball player.’

One of the central themes of the 2023-24 season for the Brooklyn Nets has been the role of super-scoring guard Cam Thomas. Thomas, 22, has been Brooklyn’s best scorer this season and while his game has its flaws, what he does on the offensive end is just too good for anyone on the team to ignore.

Thursday’s 111-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Paris was another example of what Thomas’ offensive ability can provide for the Nets when the team is trying to win games against tough opponents. In fact, in the first quarter where Brooklyn scored just 16 points against the Cavaliers’ switch-everything defense, Thomas poured in 10 of those points while playing just 4:12 in the period.

More to the point, Thomas’ 15 points in the second half was one of the main reasons, along with Mikal Bridges and Lonnie Walker IV, that the Nets were able to almost complete the comeback from a 26-point deficit in the third quarter. However, Thursday brought to light another topic regarding Brooklyn and that is whether benching Thomas was the right decision for this team.

Thomas was sent to the bench in favor of forward Dorian Finney-Smith after a 144-122 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 27 in which the Nets sat most of the veterans from the beginning and stopped playing guys like Thomas, Bridges, and Royce O’Neale after the first quarter in a winnable game. Brooklyn was later fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy.

Since Thomas’ benching, the Nets are 1-6 and have been the third-worst team in offensive rating (107.9) and the fifth-worst team in net rating (-9.5). The problem with the Nets is obviously bigger than whether Thomas starts or not, but Thursday’s Paris game made it clear that Brooklyn’s offense is considerably better with him on the floor.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was asked after the game if he still saw Thomas as a sixth-man or if he could see Thomas making his way back into the starting lineup at some point later this season. Vaughn didn’t exactly say no, but he didn’t say yes either:

“It’s interesting. For awhile, we were starting him, but we were just pretty small. It was tough for us to rebound. You see some opportunities tonight when we are small, that’s the real disadvantage for us is rebounding the basketball, giving guys extra opportunities. What I do see for him is he’s a heck of a basketball player and my message to him was some nights, you’re going to finish. Some nights, you’re going to start. It could be vice versa. Tonight, he didn’t start, but he finished the game for us and so, I’m just going to continue to coach him as a basketball player. Whether it’s sixth, seventh, eighth starter, appreciate what he does for us as a basketball player.”

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Nets have guaranteed contracts for Trendon Watford and Harry Giles III

On Sunday, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn announced that the Nets have guaranteed the deals of Trendon Watford and Harry Giles III.

NEW YORK — Trendon Watford and Harry Giles III have had vastly different roles throughout this season for the Brooklyn Nets as Watford has been in and out of the rotation while Giles has mostly been riding the bench. However, both players had something to celebrate on Sunday.

“I’m going to give y’all something today,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said on Sunday before officially ending his pregame press conference prior to facing the Portland Trail Blazers. “Trendon (Watford) and Harry Giles, their guaranteed date is today,” Vaughn explained.

What made Sunday (Jan. 7) important for Watford and Giles is that, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, “Teams must waive players on partial/non-guaranteed deals by January 7 in order for them to clear waivers before January 10.” Now that both players are on the roster past that date, they will move forward with the rest of this season knowing that their contracts for this season will be paid to them.

Vaughn announced the news with a smile on his face given how much that both players have been through in their respective careers. Vaughn didn’t lose sight of the fact that both players have more money to spend now as he playfully said “dinner is on those two.”

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Nets’ Jacque Vaughn gives update on Ben Simmons

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn gave an update on Ben Simmons on Friday prior to the Nets facing the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have lost 10 of their last 12 games as they enter Friday’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the best teams in the NBA this season. One constant theme for the Nets this season is missing key rotation players, but Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn gave an update on arguably the most important one.

“He actually had a workout today,” Vaughn said of Ben Simmons on Friday prior to facing the Thunder for the second time in one week. “Still progressing, which is good. The ability to get on court with multiple bodies around him (Simmons). So, that’s kind of where he’s at and just building from here. So, some good signs moving forward.”

Simmons is currently rehabbing from a nerve impingement in his lower left back and has missed the past 28 games since he suffered his injury on Nov. 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Since that game, Simmons has been slowly rehabbing and ramping up from his injury in the hopes of joining the Nets sometime this season.

Going into Friday’s game against Oklahoma City, Simmons has played just six games for Brooklyn this season and that is after playing just 42 games for the franchise last season due to a similar injury. With that being said, it seems that Simmons should be returning sometime soon as Vaughn said that Simmons was able to work out with the coaches which was an upgrade from doing just individual work.

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