Among the many questions that have come with Steve Nash’s transition to the role of head coach is what will his style be like. Yelling incessantly or chirping refs constantly doesn’t seem like Nash’s thing, but there’s more to the role than that.
His scheme and approach on both ends of the floor as a head coach are unknowns. While there isn’t quite as much of X’s and O’s at the NBA level as others, Nash still has to find a way to get the full potential out of the talented roster he has in Brooklyn.
“Stylistically I think it’s to be determined,” the Nets head coach said during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “But, obviously, I have my principles. I think the most important thing is to start at the defensive end. Be strong [with] defensive transition and in the halfcourt.
“Offense, for our team, we have a talented group. We definitely want to use the talent, speed, athleticism [and] versatility of our players that are able to make plays for each other. Skill is, I think, profound on our roster. We’re want to put them in a position where they can express themselves, that way they can be very difficult to cover. … That’s still a work in progress. I definitely have my principles and my preconceived notions, but this is a collaborative effort and something that I’m going to build with my staff with the roster that we have.”
Also, Nash was asked on TNT’s Inside the NBA if he’ll take after Don Nelson or Mike D’Antoni, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, and it doesn’t look like that’ll be the case.
“It’s probably somewhere different in that the game’s changed so much since then,” Nash said. “It’d be dangerous for me to try to fit this team into my image.”