#1 Steve Nash – Brooklyn Nets
People are going to say that the Brooklyn Nets are only a good team because of their top-tier talents, which is definitely a valid argument, but do not overlook the fact that Steve Nash did an excellent job in his first year as head coach of the Nets. He is still a “coach in training” and he himself is still learning the do’s and don’ts of being a head coach, but Nash understands his players, and his team respects him a lot.
Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving have all spoken very highly of Steve Nash as their head coach because like Steve Kerr, he gives his players a lot of freedom and allows them to “run the show.” He still makes the key decisions during games and off-the-floor, but he knows guys like Durant, Harden and Irving act as secondary coaches for this team.
There is a saying that “the best players love to be coached,” and this is true, but these same players do need to be given some “leeway.”
Guys in the NBA are professional athletes and do not need to be treated like babies all the time like college coaches do, which is where some head coaches fail. They try to govern every last thing with the team, which is why we saw the Indiana Pacers not be as good as they could have been during the 2020-21 season.
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Steve Nash is the complete opposite of this kind of coach and he is very open to having the team decide what is best rather than him being a “dictator” in a way and making every last decision. The Brooklyn Nets enter the 2021-22 season as “the team to beat” and the heavy favorites to win the 2022 NBA Finals, which is why Steve Nash could end up winning coach of the year.
Winning 60+ games is definitely in play for the Nets this upcoming season and if they are one of the only teams to do so, claiming the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference, then it will hard not to say that Nash deserves the Coach of the Year award, even though they have one of the most talented rosters in the league.
